A Moment in Time
by Alatus
Summary: A scream in the night, and in an instant everything changes. The arrival of an ambassador heralds a threat that could destroy Shin Makoku and her King. Sequel to A Simple Change in Time ConYuu!
1. Nightmare

**Disclaimer: **Kyou Kara Maou is not owned by me (otherwise this would be cannon!)

Big thanks going out to my beta reader Merideth-kun!

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Two days had passed since Conrad and Yuuri's conversation in the garden. Yuuri had always had a glow about him, but now it seemed brighter than before, and was accompanied by a determined glint in his eyes. The teen had decided he was going to try his very best to… well…

Neither really had an idea where their relationship was heading, but in a way, that was part of it.

The knight found it incredibly adorable when the young Maou brought him a flower in a small pot as a gift. The teen had been blushing terribly, while maids giggled in the background with delight. Yuuri had babbled about not wanting to kill the flower by picking it, so he'd decided to dig it up roots and all, even though it wasn't exactly romantic and place it in the container he'd had a lot of difficulty finding –

Conrad had gently cut him off there. The knight was genuinely delighted by the Yuuri-style-gift. He even had the small yellow blossom placed in his room by the window where it could get plenty of light.

It was the first thing that greeted him that morning, when he woke up. The bright cheerful blossom was already open, ready for the day, despite the early hour.

The flower had sadly also reminded Conrad of his misgivings about the whole affair with the young Maou. After all, the Great Sage had erased Yuuri's memories of the last few weeks, because of the soul link the knight had drawn upon to save the teen.

Conrad had never guessed at the time the way in which he had saved Yuuri's life had almost brought Shin Makoku to ruin. Shinou had been infected with Soushu and that taint had been inside Yuuri until Murata erased it.

Yuuri had escaped that crisis at the price his memories of those two weeks. With those lost memories had been Conrad's confession of love to him, and that left Conrad in doubt of the state of things now.

With the soul link, emotions had passed freely between them and left behind ghosts of feelings in each from the other. For Conrad, the powerful anger that had consumed Shinou had slipped into him, leaving a faint impression that left him very short tempered.

And for Yuuri…Conrad's overpowering love was left behind. The emotion the teen might be falsely acting upon.

The Great Sage had told him that the anger he felt would fade over the coming weeks….

And when it did, Yuuri could well discover that the love he'd felt hadn't been his own, and… that was something Conrad's heart wouldn't be able to bare.

A heavy sigh escaped the knight's lips, as he glanced out into the starry night. Gisela had finally released him from the infirmary and today had been his first day of light duty. He'd just finished patrolling the halls, and handed the route to his replacement. The night sky had given him pause as he'd been heading back to his room and**…**

…that was when it happened.

The quiet calm of the last two days was broken by a terrified blood curtailing scream.

Conrad was racing down the halls before the sound had even become an echo. A loud explosion followed, making everything shake. There was the unmistakable feel to the air as though it was charged with electricity, the feeling he always got from maryoku.

His heart beat wildly in his chest, as he fervently prayed to even Shinou himself that he was wrong.

His feet beat harshly across the floor, echoing with the pounding words in his head. "Please, _please _don't let that have been Yuuri." There were shouts of guards as they moved to find out what the disturbance was but they were all behind him.

He rounded the last corner; the Maou's room was just ahead, only to have his worst fear confirmed. The doors were blown wide open, barely holding onto their hinges.

"Yuuri!" he yelled, rushing into the room with his sword drawn. He rounded the corner only to come to a screeching halt just passed the doorframe.

The room was in utter shambles: puddles of water were scattered among the devastation, but in the center of the room stood a lone figure. There, with softly swirling blue maryoku coiling around him, stood the Maou. His cold snake-like eyes were focused upon Conrad with not a trace of warmth to them.

Despite himself, the soldier felt his apprehension rise. "Yuuri?" queried Conrad softly, but the other remained silent. "What happened?"

Those hard, cold eyes continued to stare right through him.

Conrad was just about to step forward, when the dark haired Maou swayed in a tell tail sign. Conrad lunged, barely managing to reach Yuuri before his powers dimmed and he collapsed. The knight winced as his knee scraped a piece of splintered wood, but he'd managed to catch the teen before he injured himself.

A soft moan escaped the young Maou's lips. "Yuuri?"

The teen's eyelids twitched: a clear sign that he was conscious. His head rolled slightly to the side, before heavy lashes finally parted, revealing surprisingly alert eyes. "Con…rad…?"

The knight let out a relieved sigh; apparently Yuuri hadn't used as much maryoku as Conrad had originally feared. "I'm here, your majesty," the soldier assured him, his sword still held at the ready. "Can you stand?" The guards were finally starting to rush into the room, and the knight wanted nothing more than to get the teen to a safer location.

The young Maou frowned slightly, thinking deeply about the question, but Conrad saw the instant that something knocked it right out of his head. The teen's eyes suddenly went wide, as he struggled against the soldier to rise to his feet. "Wolfram!" he exclaimed, limbs flailing as the knight tried to keep hold of him. "Where's Wolfram?" Conrad felt the same fear that griped Yuuri rush through himself. "I heard him right before I blew up the…" his voice wavered, before he fell utterly silent.

Conrad looked down at the teen only to follow Yuuri's line of sight. The knight's heart stopped the second he realized that his little brother was lying slumped against the wall.

"Where's the medic?" he found himself bellowing at the guards there a second later.

Some of the guards skittered away, startled by the ferocity in the usually calm knight's voice. The teen's hand gently tightened on his arm, bringing Conrad back to himself. Utterly shamefaced, the knight could only murmur a heartfelt apology.

The guards shifted nervously, before the most courageous of their number managed to stutter out, "W-we've already sent someone to get Gisela, Sir Weller."

Conrad nodded, swallowing thickly. "Thank you," he replied softly to the guard who responded with a weak smile and sharp salut. Conrad helped the teen to his feet. "I'll escort his majesty-"

"No," Yuuri cut in. "I can help." The soldier tried to protest. "We can't just leave him lying there!" He continued, to which the knight could not argue. He did nothing when the young Maou shirked himself free of his grip, and Conrad merely stood silently, letting his hand once again fall to his side.

Yuuri moved quickly, slipping easily around the debris. The teen's movements, the knight realized silently, were completely steady. It was both a relief and terrifying that the teen could cause so much damage and not feel the least bit drained by it.

The Maou truly was not someone to trifle with.

A grim look came to Conrad's face at that. He watched as Yuuri with a guard's help cleared a spot on the floor for his blond brother.

The question that was currently going through Conrad's mind though, was _what_ exactly his little brother was doing here _before_ Yuuri had screamed and destroyed the room. The young Maou had said as much that Wolfram had been in here, but _why?_

A clatter of feet announced the arrival of Gisela, along with the pale brown haired guard who'd fetched her, and to Conrad's surprise, his older brother as well.

Gwendal's glower deepened as he surveyed the room. "What happened here?"

Yuuri's head snapped up from where he was kneeling beside Wolfram. "That's my fault," he announced sheepishly, slightly raising one hand.

Gisela rushed to the young Maou's side, checking both him and Wolfram. The double black tried to rise to his feet, assuring her that he was fine, but one menacing glare from the green haired doctor had him nervously laughing and sitting back down.

Conrad felt the knot of tension in his chest loosen ever so slightly. "S-sir." The knight turned slowly to the guard who had addressed him. "The surrounding area is secured. Sh-should I give the order to spread out the search?"

Yuuri's mouth snapped open to answer, but Gwendal cut him off. "Have the guards search in pairs. We don't know who's out there." The teen felt his cheeks start to heat up, a fact that didn't escape Conrad's notice. Nor that Yuuri was hovering so close to Wolfram. Gwendal finally turned back to the young Maou. "In the mean time, your majesty, what _exactly_ happened here?"

With a guilty look, Yuuri's eyes darted briefly to Conrad before fixing themselves to the single spot on the floor. Conrad and Gwendal awaited an answer, but the teen said nothing. Gisela broke the silence by ordering two of the guards to bring a stretcher for Wolfram. The young Maou looked up with alarm, face starting to go pale.

Even then Gisela only spared them a glance as she continued to work. "I can't say for certain how Sir von Bielefeld is. Nothing looks serious, but I want to take him to the infirmary just to be sure."

Conrad nodded. "Come Yuuri, we'll take this conversation somewhere else." This time the teen did nothing to protest.

He rose silently to his feet, following after Wolfram's two elder brothers. He paused only briefly to scoop up his blue glowing pendant out of the wreckage, before following Gwendal out into the hall. Conrad hovered close to the young Maou's side, uncertain what support he should offer.

They were settled in Gwendal's office barely five minutes later, with two guards posted at the closed door. Yuuri was the only one of the three sitting.

"Your majesty?" The teen cringed at Gwendal's tone, like a child being rebuked by a parent. "What happened?"

Yuuri's eyes were down cast still, hands wrapped tightly around each other. He couldn't find the courage to speak a word. His throat just felt too tight. He shook his head vigorously, only to have Conrad place a feather light hand on his shoulder.

"Your majesty," his knight's voice was imploring. Only for an instant, Yuuri hesitatingly met the other's deep chocolate coloured eyes. "We're just trying to find out what happened."

The teen bowed his head. His hands tightened even more, making his knuckles turn a bloodless white. "I…" The knight's hand didn't waver from his shoulder. "Something woke me up." His first words sounded so very loud, despite they were barely more than a whisper. "I… don't know… I just…" His eyes flickered to Conrad again. "It was wrong." There was a warning in those words.

"What was, Yuuri?"

The teen looked away from the knight. "The room- _everything_ felt wrong." He was starting to shake. "It scared me, so I-I guess I went all Maou-y mode on everything. After that, I woke up to you over me." He blushed ever so slightly.

Gwendal let out a slight cough. "Do you recall anything else?" he pressed.

Yuuri focused on the ground, trying to think. "Wolfram…" he hesitated, "screaming…"

A frown marred Conrad's face. "Are you certain of that, Yuuri?" The soldier was positive that it had been the teen's voice he'd heard.

Yuuri's head shot up, some half formed word on his lips. His eyes darted to the knight, only to swallow whatever he was going to say. Silently he sank back into the chair.

Even without looking, Yuuri knew Conrad's frown had deepened considerably. It was only to be expected. The young Maou gazed absently at his bare feet. He wriggled his toes, watching the faint shadows they cast against the cold stone floor.

The knight's sharp eyes were still focused on him, but he didn't know what Conrad was looking for.

"Your majesty," began the soldier hesitantly, not sure he wished to know the answer. "What-" There was a loud knock on the door, breaking the soldier's next words. "Enter." Conrad turned to the door, his hand finally slipping from the young Maou's shoulder. Yuuri didn't as much as move.

The teen heard the sharp sounds of a guard entering, and saluting. "The grounds have been thoroughly searched, sirs!" came the report. "No suspicious persons were found, and nothing is out of order." Conrad thanked the guard before dismissing him.

A dead silence hung over the room after the guard exited. Yuuri glanced at his two advisers, both them were wearing grim expressions. "What is it?" the teen asked quietly, startling them both.

"That means," answered Gwendal, "that the only ones involved in this matter are you, your majesty, and Wolfram."

Yuuri swallowed hard, head sinking. "Isn't it already obvious that.. I-I'm responsible for hurting… Wolf…" his voice closed up, not letting him finish.

But Conrad was already shaking his head. "That's not what we're thinking, your majesty." He moved away from Yuuri, settling himself against the edge of Gwendal's desk.

"Then what are you thinking?" The teen still wasn't looking at him.

Conrad took a deep breath, stealing himself against his question. "Why was Wolfram there?"

Yuuri's mouth dropped open, shock written on his face. "We didn't- that is- I have no idea- do you actually-" His babble of protests continued, but it was already clear he didn't know why the blond had been there. "Do you actually think I would do something like that, Conrad?" Yuuri asked, tone hurt.

Guilt grabbed Conrad's heart in a vice. Thankfully, Gwendal defused the situation. "Your majesty, since the beginning of this conversation you have been avoiding eye contact with Sir Weller. The question had to be asked."

"Oh," replied Yuuri softly.

"I apologize, your majesty," began Conrad.

"No," the teen cut in, shaking his head. "I-I should have just said this from the start." Even now, he still hesitated briefly. His courage showed though, because he raised his head, looking the soldier squarely in the eye. "You were there, Conrad." Confusion began to cloud the knight's face. "Before everything else happened, me destroying the room, seeing Wolfram, or him screaming, the first thing I saw was you."

Conrad could say nothing. The frown on Gwendal's face was deeper than ever, accompanied by more wrinkles than Yuuri could count. "What do you mean?"

Yuuri's eyes never wavered from the knight. "I saw you on the balcony, fighting someone."

"That's not possible," answered the knight in a troubled tone. "I was in the corridors, heading back to my chamber when I heard the scream. I wasn't anywhere near his majesty's room."

"Can anyone verify that?" asked Gwendal in a business like manner.

Conrad slowly shook his head. "The last person I saw was the guard I handed my post off to, and they won't be able to verify where I was heading." He looked at his older brother. "I was also the first one to arrive at the scene of his majesty rooms."

Gwendal's eyes flashed dangerously. "And what of the guards posted outside his majesty's room, where were they?" Conrad glanced toward the young Maou, but neither could answer the question.

"Who was supposed to be guarding the doors?" asked Yuuri in a small voice.

Both brothers' wore thinned lipped expressions. "I intend to find that out," promised Conrad, a dangerous fire burning in his eyes. "We will get to the bottom of all this."

"Then," began Yuuri, glancing nervously once again at the knight. "What exactly did I see?"

The knight's expression became gentle again, as he placed a comforting hand on Yuuri's shoulder. "It was probably just your imagination, or the last vestiges of some dream."

Yuuri said nothing.

Gwendal gave a heavy sigh. "I believe it is high time we sent his majesty back to bed."

The teen's cheeks brightened as he spluttered. "I don't think this is the time for sleep."

Conrad tightened his hold ever so slightly on the teen's shoulder. "There's nothing more that can be done tonight, your majesty. A fresh start in the morning is the best approach right now. Gwendal can handle anything immediate that needs to be done."

"Like finding those two guards?" pressed Yuuri, a far too sharp look in his eyes.

"It will most likely take some time to find them, your majesty," replied Gwendal, rubbing his brow. If Conrad had to guess his older brother was starting to develop a headache. "But I assure you the moment we do, I'll be certain that you are brought in on the meeting, or included in any decisions made in regards to what will be done with them."

Yuuri smiled, tired though it was. "Thank you." Gwendal nodded curtly in response. The teen yawned, stretching his arms. "So where am I going to be sleeping tonight?"

"The infirmary until another room can be set up," replied Conrad. "That room will have the most protection at the moment." And room if a fight broke out. Who knew what those two guards had been thinking.

"Can we're visit Wolfram first though?" Yuuri asked the knight, which the soldier had no argue to: it was his little brother after all, and that was not something Yuuri had forgotten.

"Of course." And that was all that needed to be said.

oOoOoOoOo

_Grey mist snaked through the darkness, moving like a living creature. He reached out to touch it, watching with fascination as it twisted silently around his fingers. Screams of pain and death roared to life in his ears, but for some reason he didn't as much as jump with surprise. _

'_Forgive me, Yuuri.'_

'_For what?' The words were on his lips, but suddenly his entire torso erupted in pain. He cried out, clutching at his chest. _

_Something shattered against the ground, as he sank to his knees. His knight's panicked voice rang out above his head. He had just wanted.. to… _

_He was drowning, but Conrad wouldn't let him go. _

_Water rushed passed his ears, as it swiftly carried him away…_

…_away… home…_

'_I can't go back!'_

_Desperation._

_Despair. _

'_Yuuri…'_

_Pain._

_There was heat everywhere. Fire and flames and he was the center of it all; a hiss of metal and no time to react. Red hot pain, and then he was falling again._

'_Forgive me, Yuuri.'_

Yuuri woke with a cry that was far too close to a scream. His still bandaged hand was pressed tightly over his chest, the phantom pains only now leaving his body. He was shaking like a leaf, his entire body covered in sweat.

"C-Conrad?" his voice croaked hoarsely with fear.

He didn't know where he was. He'd fallen asleep in the infirmary, but this room most definitely was not part of Gisela's medical wing. He was utterly alone. The walls seem to press in tightly around him.

He made a lung for the side of the bed, only to topple right off it. He tumbled to the floor in a heap, bringing the tangled blankets and sheets down with him.

Without so much as pausing, he kicked wildly at the blankets, bodily dragging himself to the door. Fear beat in his chest wildly, making it difficult to breathe. He needed Conrad. The cocoon loosened, and barely a second later, he rocketed to his feet.

He rushed for the door. He didn't remember coming to this room the night before. Or _had_ it been the night before? His panic hit a whole new level with that thought.

What if it was a week from his last memory, or a month? Or worse, what if it was a year?

Consumed with terror he rushed blindly down the corridor, wildly searching for his knight. But all the hallways were empty.

"Conrad!" the name bubbled up, escaping his lips in an almost hysterical cry. Tears blurred his eyes, making it impossible to tell where he was going. "Conrad!"

"Yuuri!" He whipped around the bend, crashing full force into the person he'd been desperately searching for.

The soldier stumbled back at the impact, even as Yuuri latched tightly onto his uniform. The teen buried his face in the rough brown fabric with no intention of letting go. "Conrad," his voice trembled, but at that moment Yuuri didn't care.

The knight let out a relieve sigh, placing a hand on top of the young Maou's head. "Are you alright?" The soul link between the two of them had flared to life with Yuuri's fear, and for a moment Conrad had been terrified something had happened to him. The teen adamantly shook his head, eyes shut tight and not loosening his grip in the slightest.

Conrad let out another sigh. He only just wished-

"Sir Weller!" He tried not to tense at the angry voice, but he knew he'd failed when Yuuri looked up at him with surprise. He tried to offer a reassuring smile, but failed when the angry speaker snapped at him again. "I'm not finished speaking with you!"

Conrad turned sharply at that, making sure to keep Yuuri out of sight behind him. "I'll return shortly, Sir von Walruf," answered the knight curtly. The soldier turned his attention back to the teen. "Come- Yuuri." There was a slight hiccup in the soldier's words, like he'd caught himself before saying something wrong. It was different than his usual slip of using the young Maou's name, this use had been completely forced, and Yuuri got the impression it was more to hide his title.

He frowned, a protest on his lips, but Conrad was already propelling them back down the passage around the bend.

Once they were out of earshot of the angry man (Yuuri hadn't been able to get a good look at him) the teen tried to ask what that had been about, only to have Conrad shake his head. "First you tell me what had you scared so badly."

Yuuri tried to brush it off, partly because he was now feeling utterly ashamed of the way he'd acted, only to have Conrad stop him dead in the hallway. The knight placed both hands on his shoulders, kneeling slightly so they were eyelevel.

The knight had learned only after their last adventure that Yuuri hesitated to talk about personal issues. Conrad had come to this realization when things had gone dangerously out of control, and Yuuri had accidentally reached out for him, revealing he was blind. At the time the teen had been loosing his sight slowly over several days, and until then had not breathed a word to anyone.

It was a lesson Conrad had taken to heart. The teen didn't voice his personal problems when left alone. The latest form had come with Yuuri hitting him full force in a blind panic, and though the knight could see Yuuri was embarrassed there was a second reason he was trying to avoid saying anything about.

So there they stood in the center of the hallway, Conrad's eyes level with Yuuri's.

The knight drew a slight breath, deciding to simply go for the truth. "Will you tell me what was wrong, Yuuri?"

The teen's mouth opened slightly, before his eyes slipped to stare at the floor. It was strange, mused Yuuri. Right now Conrad was showing how deeply he cared, while last night it felt like they were nothing more than soldier and king.

A taunting little voice added in sing-song, that maybe Conrad was just humouringhimanddidn't like him in that way.

A chill ran through Yuuri, like his blood had turned to ice. That thought hurt too much to think about. Yuuri shook his head and Conrad missed interrupted the motion.

"Yuuri…" A painfully sad expression had come to the soldier's eyes.

"No, it's not- that is…" Yuuri scrambled for words to try and explain something he didn't want to say. So he skittered around the issue of memories and went with an easy answer that was part of the truth. "I had a nightmare…" He stared intently at his bandaged hand, the one he had no recollection of hurting. "Stupid, I know." He gave a weak laugh, completely missing Conrad's frown. "Sorry about rushing into you. You probably have better things to do than babysit-"

"Yuuri," Conrad cut him off, drawing him closer. "I'm glad you came to me. Big, or small, I would have it that we face any fear together, rather than you face it alone."

Yuuri was at a loss of words for several minutes. "Thank you," he finally whispered, a slight smile appearing on his face. The soldier returned it in full.

That was when they heard someone rushing down the hall toward them.

Mutually Conrad and Yuuri sprang apart, cheeks aflame. Unfortunately Yuuri picked the exact location the person tried to run through. With a yelp, they both tumbled to the floor in a heap of lacy skirts and tangled limbs.

"Yuuri!" exclaimed Conrad, trying to help the two struggling persons apart. The young Maou let out a pained moan from beneath the maid who was currently crushing him.

There was an 'eek' from the pink skirted girl, as she scrambled off him. A moment later, Conrad was helping Yuuri to his feet.

"I'm so terribly sorry, your majesty! Please forgive me, I should have been paying more attention to where I was going!" Yuuri blinked once, twice, and finally got a good look at the girl who'd crashed into him.

The maid was dressed in pink, with her brown hair tied in two tight buns. He couldn't remember having met her before. She was clearly mortified about knocking him over. She was bent more than double in a bow, her face practically pressed up against her pink skirts.

"Hey, it's alright," Yuuri tried assure her. "You don't have to bow." He gently took hold of her arm, pulling her back upright. "It was an accident; I know I can be pretty clumsy at times. Neither of us was hurt, right? So no worries!" He gave a small laugh, and a bright smile.

The maid just stared at him in horror, like he was some horrible two headed mutated creature. Yuuri shifted nervously not sure what else to say. Thankfully, Conrad came to his rescue once again. The knight cleared his throat lightly, trying to draw her attention.

It didn't work quite like he expected though. She suddenly shrieked, clapping both hands over her mouth. Yuuri stumble back in alarm at her outburst, and promptly tripped expertly over his own two feet.

"I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, bowing profusely again. "I'm in a hurry! His Excellency demanded that I bring him a bottle of wine. Please forgive me!"

Conrad waved her off. "It's alright, Eve," he assured. "I'll look after his majesty."

"Thank you, Sir Weller!" she exclaimed, bowing more again before she took off at a run down the halls frilly skirts flying out behind her.

Yuuri propped up on his elbows on the floor, could only stare. "What was that!?" he exclaimed.

"One of our new maids, Eve," answered Conrad, offering a hand to the teen. "She's still trying to get use to the castle."

Yuuri accept his hand, allowing the knight to yank him up off the floor. "What was she talking about though," he continued. "His Excellency she mentioned, I hope that isn't Murata she was talking about. I don't think he drinks wine…" He trailed out thoughtfully, but Conrad was already shaking his head.

"She was talking about the.. guest I was speaking with earlier," replied Conrad with a grimace. "Come, I'll explain things once you're dressed." Yuuri blinked, only then just realizing he was still wearing his pjs. He wasn't really sure how to react to that revelation either.

He allowed Conrad to lead him the rest of the way to their destination, which turned out to be the room Yuuri had woken up in. His temporary rooms, Conrad had told him, until the usual ones were repaired. Those words soothed the last of the worry still beating in Yuuri's heart.

The room also had the added bonus of being close to Conrad's quarters, which was a definite plus in Yuuri's books.

He dressed quickly, before allowing the knight into his new room. Yuuri plopped down on the bed, offering the spot next to him, but the knight took the chair from a nearby desk instead. The teen tried not to be too disappointed.

Yuuri waited for a few minutes, but when it became clear Conrad didn't know how to begin, Yuuri started. "So this 'Excellency' that Eve mentioned, would that be the Sir… Walruf, was it? That you were talking to?"

"Yes, he would be," replied Conrad reluctantly.

"And who exactly is he?" asked Yuuri, leaning forward slightly on the bed.

Conrad drew a deep breath before he answered in a grave voice, "He's a representative from Greater Shimaron."

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Hello one and all! Welcome to the end of the first chapter of _A Simple Change in Time's _sequel: (duduuduuaaaaa!) _A Moment in Time!_

-inter lots of cheering and fanfare-

Thank you! Thank you!

Anyway, silliness aside, I'm delighted that I finally managed to cobble the first chapter together for your enjoyment. Took waaay longer than I expected it to. Good news is I've got a lot of the first few chapters already mapped out so hopefully updates won't be months on end or whatever.

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Big thanks to everyone who read it!

And see ya next chapter!


	2. Words

Big thanks to both my wonderful beta readers: Nami schwan and Merideth-kun!

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Yuuri felt like the floor had just been yanked out from underneath his feet. "What…?" he breathed, not quite believing what he'd heard. Conrad's expression was completely unreadable. The young Maou felt his insides twist up into knots. "But what…" it was a struggle to find his words. "Why is Shimaron… here?" His mouth felt dry.

The knight sighed, running a hand over his face. Yuuri watched his expression closely but not once did it change. "Theodore von Walruf's official title is that of ambassador."

"And why exactly did Greater Shimaron send him here?" Yuuri pressed.

He did not like the soldier's lack of expression. "King Ranjeel, wanted to-" Conrad abruptly cut himself off as confusion clouded the young Maou's expression.

"Ranjeel? But Belal…?" The knight mentally cursed himself. Yuuri didn't know. The teen's expression began to fall.

"Your majesty…" the soldier tried.

"Yuuri," came the quiet, but sharp correction. Conrad winced. The young Maou's head was bowed, hiding all traces of his expression. For some reason that just made Conrad's heart sink all the lower. "What…" the question choked itself in the teen's throat. The knight silently watched as Yuuri's hands curled into fists, fingers twisting into the dark fabric of his pants. "Are they… related?" the young Maou finally asked weakly.

The knight's response sounded far to steady compared to Yuuri's trembling tone. "Ranjeel is Belal's nephew."

"Is that so…" Yuuri wasn't even really listening to him.

"Your majesty-"

"You know-" they both spoke in the same second, only to fall silent. The young Maou looked up at him, and for a long moment they just sat there, with silence descending upon the room. Conrad was the first to glance away, unable to hold the young Maou's intense gaze.

The soldier cleared his throat, trying to ignore the growing oppressive atmosphere. "You must remember, your majesty, that… King Belal wasn't a kind ruler."

The words would have been so much stronger if he'd been able to hold Yuuri's gaze.

"You think I don't know that?" Yuuri answered bitterly, though his voice still trembled. "I still remember him, Conrad. I know he was there. I _remember_ him being at the tournament" Something in the teen's tone made the knight wince again. "But I don't…" here the young Maou faltered. It was several moments before he was finally able to quietly speak again. "I don't know what happened to him." He gave the soldier a searching look.

For some reason that was when Conrad's mind completely froze. The question was visible in Yuuri's eyes. Even so, the young Maou couldn't say out loud what they were both avoiding. _'What happened to Belal?' _

"He's…"

A part of Conrad suddenly wished that he'd had the courage to sit beside Yuuri on the bed, and draw the boy close. Yuuri had invited him to sit there, but instead he had gone for what he felt was a far safer choice, the chair in the opposite corner.

That was why things felt so tense in the room, Conrad realized. Because they were acting as though they were nothing more than soldier and king.

Conrad drew a slow breath. "Belal's dead."

The young Maou went absolutely still, and Conrad could only think of what Wolfram had only recently mentioned off hand to him.

The first time Yuuri had been informed of Belal's death, the teen had immediately voiced worry about a power vacuum and where that would leave Greater Shimaron in all of it. But right now, the knight could see no sign of that insight.

The teen's gaze was fixed on his lap, to white knuckles and fingers that were twisted tightly together. If his hands were shaking, the knight was unable to tell. Conrad still did not have the courage to move any closer.

Silence reigned for a long time, which the knight willingly gave to the young Maou to sort out his thoughts.

Neither half mazoku were certain afterwards, how long they stayed like that. At some point the teen's eyes went wide and the last of the color drained out of his face. He looked up nervously at Conrad, and the knight knew he wasn't going to like the next question.

"Did we…" the teen squeaked, looking ill. "Did we kill him?" The soldier felt he should have seen that question coming. "Is that why... no one will say anything about what happened? Because if that's why, I want to know! Everyone's going around like nothing's changed, but things have! Murata's been avoiding me, and you…" Yuuri swallowed hard. "I-I've noticed. I know things aren't the same, and that..." his next words must have been one of the hardest things he'd ever said, "I know I won't get those two weeks back."

"Yuuri…"

The teen just shook his head, sending strands of his black hair flying. "I want to know Conrad." There was steady conviction in his voice. "No- no matter the details, I need to know what happened." His eyes were fixed steadily upon Conrad, never wavering from the knight's face.

Conrad began to wonder then, if it truly was the best that they had told Yuuri so little. The teen had a right to know what had happened, but then _who's _right was it to tell him?

Conrad didn't know where to begin or what to say, and no one else could tell the full story. The Great Sage was the only other option, but as Yuuri had said, Murata was avoiding him.

The young Maou drew a deep breath, asking steadily once again. "Conrad, did we kill Belal?" His gaze was piercing.

"I understand your concern, your majesty." There had already been several incidences where one of Yuuri's advisers had tried to go behind the young Maou's back and assassinate someone.

Thankfully the teen had caught wind of each plot and stopped it, but some had been close calls. Even Conrad had sadly managed to involve himself a few times.

"Belal was already dead by the time…" How much did Yuuri know? "…by the time I found him." His kidnapping had probably been left out.

The teen however had been watching Conrad closely, and immediately noticed the soldier's hesitation. "And someone else was there when… Belal died. Who, Conrad?" The question seemed to hang heavily in the air.

Conrad felt his heart fall. "Your majesty…" but the serious look in the young Maou's eyes made the rest of the knight's words catch in his throat. With a heavy sigh, the rest finally slipped passed his lips. "Greater Shimaron …had you at the castle," he struggled to continue, "You… never said… what happened. But… Shinou had been there."

Shinou had already been painted the villain of the tale in everyone's eyes, and to help protect Yuuri, Conrad had said nothing about Soushu. No one besides the Great Sage knew about the force that corrupted the Original King, or that it had gotten inside Yuuri.

And that was a secret Conrad was taking to his grave.

"So Shinou murdered Belal," Yuuri whispered softly, grimacing as he said it. "This is going to make facing ambassador _Wallfluff_ harder, isn't it?"

Conrad bit his tongue at the mispronounced name, but he couldn't help his wry smile. "His official reason for coming is different than just discussing with me the death of King Ranjeel's uncle." He wished too late that he'd phrased that better.

Yuuri was on his feet, before Conrad could stop him. "And what's he doing in the mean time?"

"Yuuri..."

The teen whipped around toward the door. "Then I've got a thing or three to say to that Ambassador about picking on you!"

"Yuuri!" there was an exasperated, but slightly amused ring to the soldier's tone as he went after the young Maou. That changed the second they both heard someone step back from the other side of the closed door.

Conrad was passed the teen in a flash, before Yuuri even knew how to react. The soldier tore the door open, sword already drawn, but the feet were already racing away down the hall.

Someone had been listening in on their conversation.

The knight took off at a dash after them. That's when Yuuri's brain finally kicked back into gear. "Conrad!" he shouted, rushing out into the corridor after the soldier.

Conrad didn't even spare him a glance as he yelled, "Get Gwendal! Don't you dare follow!" The fierceness of his tone was enough to kill any protest Yuuri had.

The teen immediately turned on his heels, racing flat out in the opposite direction. Conrad trusted him to get his older brother, and no matter how he felt personally about the order, Yuuri wasn't going to break that faith.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Cheri's first son was currently deeply engrossed in an extremely complicated matter. Not a huge surprise if one considered the presence of Greater Shimaron's ambassador Theodore von Walruf inside the castle. Gwendal was only thankful that the annoying man wasn't currently present inside his office.

The full blooded mazoku sat stiffly behind his large oak desk, which was heavily laden with many teetering stacks of documents. Gwendal's brow was deeply creased with worry as he tried to stay focused on the sole task before him.

His knitted creation was almost complete, and the teddy bear had to be the closest he'd come to getting it to actually look like what it was suppose to. The usual cause of his misshapen creatures came when he miscalculated on a stitch and yanked too hard on the yarn.

With ever steady hands he looped the string around the needles to finish off the bear-

Which was the exact moment Yuuri came crashing through the oaken doors. "Gwendal!" Startled, Cheri's eldest son yanked the yarn taut. The young Maou stumbled over to his desk, slightly out of breath. "Conrad! Back there- someone at door- went after- need help!"

With a glance, Gwendal immediately abandoned his knitting into an open drawer. The teddy sadly no longer looked so much like a teddy bear anymore, but rather a rat with long limbs. He barked orders at the guards who were only now peering curiously into the room.

Yuuri let out a sigh of relief, leaning lightly against the edge of the desk, careful of the mountains of papers. His eyes fell shut as he tried his best to steady his breathing. He heard the guards rush off and then Gwendal slowly approach him a few moments later. "Are you alright, your majesty?" concern furrowed Gwendal's brow even further.

The young Maou offered his best reassuring smile. "I'm fine, just wasn't expecting to have to run half way across the castle this early in the morning." It wasn't that early anymore, and Cheri's two sons had probably been up before daybreak, but Yuuri let his point slide anyway. "At least now I know I can make it without being too winded."

Gwendal didn't comment. "What happened?" he inquired instead.

The teen stood again, shaking his head. "I'm not entirely sure, honesty. Me and… uh, Conrad were talking in my new room. We heard someone outside the door, and Conrad went after him."

The frown began to deepen on Gwendal's face. "And exactly what were you two discussing?"

Yuuri hesitated slightly, before quietly responding. "He told me about Belal." Then his expression hardened, "And about _that_ ambassador who's picking on him."

Gwendal's own expression thinned. "So potentially, you've given away very sensitive information to a spy." Cheri's eldest son messaged his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on.

Yuuri looked aghast, but not at the right thing. "We've got spies in the castle!?"

Gwendal's already stern visage became far more pinched. He was definitely in for a horrible headache. "Every country has spies, your majesty," he informed the young Maou in an exasperated tone. "How many times has it been that you've had Yozak rescue you?"

Yuuri had the decency to look chagrined by his statement. "Right…" he cleared his throat with a nervous laugh, glancing quickly towards the door. "A-any way, are the guards going to be enough to help Conrad?" Earnest worry danced in the teen's eyes.

The Maou really was head over heels for his middle brother. Gwendal let out a slow breath. "Your majesty, Conrad is quite capable of looking after himself. The guards will help him search the castle, and hopefully apprehend whoever the spy is."

Yuuri let out a relieved sigh. "That's good." He gave a slight smile. "Thanks, I needed to hear that."

Gwendal cleared his throat. "In the meantime, however, there is a more pressing issue."

Yuuri nodded, expression going grim. He needed to find out why exactly Greater Shimaron had sent an ambassador. The question was just on the tip of his tongue, when he noticed that Gwendal was pointing toward the stacks of teetering papers all over his desk with a very pointed look. Yuuri let out a very unhappy groan.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Conrad was tense. The spy had managed to get away from him, and was now gone without a trace. Guards had joined in helping with the search, but without knowing where to look, things were starting to look fruitless.

Conrad rounded another corner in the winding hallways, only to pause as he spotted two very stiff and apprehensive looking guards. The closed door they stood stiffly beside was to a small private dining room.

A suspicion began to form in the soldier's mind.

He marched towards the room, the look in his eyes making both guards back away from him. Without pause to even knock, Conrad shoved the door open, and barged in. This way no one had time to prepare on the other side. His eyes instantly took in his surroundings, hand resting close to his sword hilt.

But there was nothing out of order in the room.

Ambassador Theodore von Walruf sat alone, a bottle of wine placed on the small table before him. He didn't so much look at the knight as he continued to sip at his glass of wine. Conrad's eyes narrowed.

What kind of noble didn't so much as flinch when an enemy soldier bursts unannounced into a room?

Walruf glanced lazily over, giving Conrad an absolute look of disgust. "If you had tried that in Greater Shimaron, you would be dead right now, regardless of the heritage of your tainted blood."

Conrad's expression didn't so much as twitch. "My apologies for disturbing you, Ambassador," he replied. "There's a… an intruder in the castle, which we're trying to track down." His fingers lightly brushed the hilt of his sword.

Walruf snorted. "A likely story." The knight's sharp eyes tracked every one of the ambassador's reactions… and his every lack of one. "You're just here to find some way to pin your made up fairytale on me." Theodore eyed his wine glass critically, slowly rolling the red liquor in circles.

"And to me," retorted Conrad, failing to keep the edge out of his voice, "it seems, _you're _trying to deflect your involvement in all this, Walruf."

Greater Shimaron's representative went very still, wine glass stopped mid swirl. "You should be careful, throwing accusations around, you never know who you'll end up offending, soldier."

The firm reminder of his station made Conrad bristle. Walruf smirked devilishly, and that was the last straw for the knight.

He grasped the hilt of his sword, knuckles white. "Uh, Sir?" began a mousy-haired guard from the doorway, while his fellow guard shook his head vigorously signaling for him to keep out of it.

Conrad never broke eye contact with Walruf, he refused to ever let the man have that satisfaction. He sharply adjusted his sword, before letting his hand fall once again to his side.

"We have more to discuss at a later date, Weller," Walruf commented, turning disinterestedly back to his wine glass. Conrad turned to leave. "You have yet to admit to your involvement in the previous King's death. If I'm not mistaken, your Maou was a guest of Greater Shimaron's at the time." Every muscle in Conrad's body went rigid. Walruf should not have known that. Dammit, the spy must have already reported in to the representative. Conrad did his very best to keep his posture neutral. "I wouldn't be surprised if that black hearted monster you call your king murdered Belal in cold blood with his own bare hands."

The knight whipped around, fury burning in his eyes. "A lesser mazoku," he could barely stay calm enough to ground the words out, "would have turned you into nothing more than ash for that." The guards behind Conrad looked just as angry.

"Ah," replied the ambassador in a soft silkily tone, which reminded Conrad far too strongly of how Shinou spoke. "But your Maou would be ever so disappointed if even a single hair on my head was harmed." Walruf didn't even seem bothered that he'd just been threatened.

"And if a single hair on Yuuri's head is harmed," retorted Conrad just as quietly. "Then your life is forfeit, ambassador. A fact that I will attest to."

Walruf's returning smile was polite, like he was indulging a particularly slow child. "Then, soldier, I have been duly warned." A prickling sensation ran down Conrad's spine. He did not like this man. The ambassador took another sip of wine from his glass. "And unless you wish to accuse me of anything further, I suggest that you leave." He gave Conrad one last look of disgust. "I prefer dining alone."

Conrad didn't trust himself to speak. He turned sharply on his heels, marching swiftly out the door, and as far away from the room as he could possibly move.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Oh my gosh it's the 2nd chapter! Well, end of the 2nd chapter to be more precise. But it's here! Hurray! See? Even authors celebrate as much as you readers when a fanfic updates. Hee.

Some silliness aside (don't want to lose it all, after all!) I'm pretty pleased with this chapter. Hasn't gotten nearly as many revisions as some of the later chapters have (yes I'm writing ahead) but then I've been having this one sticky point in the writing that I've almost got figured out. More cheering!

I think my favorite part for this chapter is the scene between Conrad and Walruf. It was just so much fun to write. That ambassador is just a complete slim ball. Though another thing with writing this chapter I noticed, is that Yuuri is terrible for remembering people's names. So my tribute to that is the mispronounced _Wallfluff_ instead of Walruf. I actually got the name Walruf from a corruption of Walrus.

Big thanks to everyone who reviewed!

**Sister-of-the-wolves: **Hey, thanks ever so much for the review and the review cake. I hope you enjoyed the second chapter to A Moment in Time, and I do apologize about it taking so long to come out. Hopefully the next chapter won't take so long. Thanks again for the review!

**Mew Mew White Dragon: **Thank you for the high praise about A Simple Change in Time. I have every intention of finishing this fanfic as well. I absolutely hate fanfics that get abandoned before they're completed. I've got a large amount of the plot outlined in varying degrees. I'm curious since you mentioned in your review that the ending was somewhat disappointing, how exactly was it disappointing? It would be great if you could give me an idea so that I improve my skill at writing endings. And to your other question, I actually got my versions of the KKM terms from all over the place. I've seen all of the anime (subbed and a bit of the dub), but I've also read online several chapters of the novel series and also read some of the manga too by various groups, so I kinda just picked and choose which versions of the terms that I liked the best. Anyway, thanks so much for your review and I hope you enjoyed the second chapter.

**Ami: **Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this chapter. Little short in my opinion (boy, I'm my own worst critic!), but quality over quantity. I actually have a head start on the next chapter since I split some of the end off this one for chapter 3, and fairly polished too (unlike later chapters). So I hope you enjoyed chapter 2 and thank you ever so much for the review. Helped get me kick started to getting this chapter finished. Thanks again!

See ya next chapter!


	3. Ambassador

Big thanks going out to my beta reader Merideth-kun!

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

He hadn't meant to put his head down. Someone had to sign the large overflowing stacks of paperwork that had built up… but somewhere along the way, he must have put his head down. It was the only explanation the young Maou could come up with that could explain the blurry mist, which the sheets of paper had become.

_He was asleep right now: eyes shut, quill still loosely tangled with his fingers, and head resting against the papers he was suppose to be reading. Out there, he probably looked so peaceful that no one realized he was trapped in a hellish dream… or more accurately a nightmare._

_Remnants of past horrors still clung to that dark hazy world. An impenetrable blackness that was darker than ink, the fading scent of wood and the terrors Wolfram had woken him from. _

_There was mist oozing across the ground like blood, a gruesome trail that tried to beckon him to follow. The trail whispered of mysteries and truths, and a sinister desperation that wanted to keep all of it buried and lost forever. Desperation that wanted to mute the whispers, but the tale would never be completely smothered. The tale wanted so desperately to be told…_

_A one sided battle, where no pity…_

_He blocked his ears, slamming his eyes shut, desperately turning away from it all. He didn't want to know. He didn't – _

_But his last sense betrayed him._

_The stench of blood filled his nose, making his gasp. He choked, covering his nose and mouth. There was an overpowering odor of decay, and it was the same thing that had made the trail of blood. A something that was no longer living._

_A hand grabbed his wrist, yanking his arm roughly away from his face, trying to drag him away. Tears came unbidden to his eyes. He knew, even without looking, that his hands were covered with that terrible crimson liquid._

_He cried out, and the entire dark world shook with his voice. _

_It gave him power over the mist's twisted shapes, and with it he threw it all back into nothing. He didn't want to know the stories it tried to tell. The sharply defined walls of a cell, and the indistinct shape of a person holding his wrist vanished like smoke. _

_But the world twisted back in on itself, his power rebounded in a way he wasn't expecting. The floor gave out beneath him, and with a silent gasp, he fell. He tumbled backwards into water, falling beneath the surface. He struggled, lungs burning desperately for air. _

_He flailed desperately like he had two sets of each limb, only to throw himself backwards onto his feet, and into the cruel hands waiting for him. They dragged him backwards, making him stumble. _

_Thunder boomed, shaking him to his very core. The cruel hand sharply pushed him to knees, where he collapsed forward onto a warm chest. Lighting flashed, forking toward the sky. Whispers filled his ears, but he didn't want to hear them. He shut his eyes, letting the rain drown the sounds out. The steady beat of a heart filled his ears, but as he listed the steady beat began to slow. He wondered whose it was._

_The mist… or was it paper? Left their features too vague to decipher. _

_Rain fell heavier than before._

_Clattering. _

_Tinkling. _

_Almost like…_

'_Glass,' he whispered._

_The world shuddered again, and it was then that he realized he'd let the nightmare spin out of his control. Desperately he grasped at it, trying to spin it back towards harmless dreams, but that one word he'd spoken had given the nightmare a power he couldn't even begin to counter. _

_He threw his arm out… only…_

_A crushing hand dangled him over a gaping abyss. And in the room behind them, broken glass crunched loudly beneath their feet. There were so many sharp pieces, many thousands of shards splintered from the whole, strewn out like a sea of sparkling crystals. _

_This room should have had dancing, whispered the broken glass. It should have been filled to the brim with joy, but all it held was a cold emptiness and bitter anguish. He was never going to like this place. _

_His gaze slowly drifted to the side, and there it was… what had started this. He tried to block it out, but… he already knew. He knew how everything would play out. A tiny blade, covered in blood, and a searing pain in his throat. He fell, but there was no one at his side to catch him. _

_That was… what would start… everything… or end it all…_

A murmur broke the dream and drew him back, even as the white paper mist still clung desperately to him. Someone was talking quietly near by… "…gotten into the castle?"

"I don't know." That was Conrad's voice. "How can you so easily dismiss that Walruf-"

"You don't have any proof, Conrad." And the other was Gwendal. He sounded strained.

"That man is dangerous," Conrad hissed back sharply. Both probably thought he was still asleep. "You must realize that."

"That does not mean the Ambassador has anything to do with the spy you detected." Gwendal's tone was just as sharp. "All you've proven, Conrad, is that we need to be wary of Greater Shimaron's representative."

There was a short pause, where one of them sighed heavily.

Gwendal spoke again. "If we're not careful-"

"I know," Conrad grimly cut in. "I just…" his voice trailed out in a way Yuuri had never heard before. "There's just so much to loose, and…" the knight paused for a moment, "…and so much damage Walruf can do."

The silence was longer this time. The teen heard someone move closer, coming up beside him before something soft and warm was draped over his shoulders.

"I guess using all that maryoku yesterday, tuckered him out more than we thought," Conrad's voice had a light tender note to it, making Yuuri's heart flutter. Sadly, the tone was gone by the time the knight spoke again. "Do you… know if Wolfram has woken up yet?" Even Conrad sounded tired.

Yuuri felt it like a stab through his heart.

Gwendal shifted slightly to the left. The only indication of how truly worried he was about their little brother. "Gisela says that it's nothing to worry about." Yuuri tried to ignore the guilt, which draped over him, thicker than any blanket. "What of the missing guards?"

The knight's warm hands settled on Yuuri's shoulders, as though to offer comfort while at the same time Conrad tried to draw strength from him. "There's been no trace of them."

The dream of paper mist leapt at the words, trying to draw him back. He fought tooth and nail against the nightmare's grasp, using the soldier's light touch as an anchor to reality.

"…and now with this whole business with Walruf," his knight was saying, "it's just making things worse." The teen wondered vaguely, how much of the conversation he'd just missed. "Yuuri doesn't…"

Conrad trailed off, his grip tightening ever so slightly. "He doesn't know anything about what's going on, Gwendal. And I… I don't know what to do." Yuuri wondered if he could send back the assurance of strength his knight was so desperately seeking.

A sigh was given. "Conrad, you have to remember that he's our Maou-" The knight's hands jerked away, as though Yuuri had burnt them. "Conrad." Gwendal's admonishment held more than a hint of anger. "That's not what I meant."

"I-I know." Yuuri couldn't read the knight's tone.

Gwendal gave an aggravated sigh. "His majesty will have to speak with the Ambassador at some point."

"Of course." It was spoken with the tone of a soldier. Yuuri suddenly felt very cold. "I understand that."

"But," pressed Gwendal.

There was no immediate answer.

"However," the soldier hesitantly amended his brother's word. He cleared his throat, before trying again. "However, I don't approve of the… issues Ambassador Walruf has been raising. His accusations seem only aimed in causing a stir, and will likely cause his majesty undue grief."

"You know perfectly well what the solution to that is, Conrad." There was no response from the knight. Gwendal sighed, no doubt rubbing his forehead. "Conrad, you have to tell him at some point what happened during those two weeks." A cold chill hit Yuuri's entire body. "Otherwise, you're just giving the Ambassador more power to use not only against us but also his majesty."

Conrad's voice was small when he finally spoke again. "It's not as simple as that, Gwendal." His tone crumbled, revealing how truly weary he was. "I want to tell him…"

"Then why don't you?"

Conrad's voice was so soft that Yuuri almost didn't hear him. "Because then I'll loose him."

Yuuri drew a sharp breath. His eyes snapped open, staring down at the desk and the documents he'd been reading earlier. All traces of sleep were gone from his mind.

Nothing else was being said, and Yuuri didn't know if he liked the silence any better.

The soldier began to move, stepping away from the desk and across the room. The knight was moving away from him. When Conrad spoke, his tone was bitter, making Yuuri's heart break more. "I can't change what happened, Gwendal."

"You're trying to."

"I'm not," retorted the soldier. "Yuuri's the one who thinks he's-" the knight cut himself off.

"Thinks what?" asked Gwendal, but his brother wouldn't answer. "Conrad-" Only the knight cut him off.

"Gwendal." He spoke with a desperation that brought both Yuuri and Gwendal up short. "It's selfish…and, I-I realize that, but…" his voice was tiny, "I don't _want_ to loose him."

Yuuri's stomach twisted sickly. What was Conrad so scared of?

Gwendal sighed. "If you don't tell him, Conrad, then Ambassador Walruf will," the warning was clear. Gwendal wanted the knight to talk.

To Yuuri's surprise, Conrad gave a hollow laugh. "Believe or not, there are some things even Walruf's twisted bag of lies can't begin to even cover. I guess one should be thankful for small miracles."

There was an abrupt change in Gwendal's demeanour. "And thankful that Ambassador Theodore von Walruf is as passive as he is."

"I meant every word I said, Gwendal." There was a coldness to Conrad's tone, which had no right being there.

"Did you think nothing of the damage your words would cause?"

What had Conrad done?

"As it is right now," Gwendal continued, "you'll be lucky if his majesty can protect you to any degree."

Or more, what had the Ambassador done?

"I'm prepared to face those consequences," the soldier answered stiffly.

"You might be," thundered Gwendal, finally fed up with his brother's demeanor. "But how to you intend to explain it to his majesty? How will you tell him that it is your fault that war has come-"

"WAR!" Yuuri rocketed to his feet, unaware of how badly he just scared the two brothers. "What do you mean war! Conrad wouldn't start a war on purpose! It has to be a misunderstanding, right? They'll talk it though with us, right?" Even he winced as his voice rose several octaves.

His gaze flickered between Gwendal and Conrad, but surprisingly Cheri's eldest son looked away. "Your majesty," it was the soldier who answered. For some reason Conrad wasn't wearing his jacket, leaving him only in his white shirt. The knight stood firmly where he was, making no move toward the young Maou. "It's alright, things haven't escalated to that point." _Yet_ hung heavily in the air though it remained unuttered.

Yuuri plowed stubbornly ahead. "How far has it gone then? And why exactly _is _that ambassador here?" It was more than just picking on Conrad, he knew that much.

Gwendal was the one to respond this time, though his eyes didn't squarely meet Yuuri's. "Greater Shimaron is here representing a large number of human nations, some of which includes our allies." Gwendal's expression became sourer.

Yuuri couldn't feel his legs. He collapsed bonelessly back into his chair, much to Conrad's alarm. "Our allies?" whispered the young Maou. "But why…" he looked up at them, dark eyes swimming with confusion and dread. "Whyis _he_ here? What is this all about!"

There was a pause. "We… our nation controls all the Forbidden Boxes, your majesty," Conrad finally answered. "A fact, King Ranjeel, has been less than discreet about."

"And… has the other nations scared," finished Yuuri, finally getting a picture of what was happening.

Gwendal just finished it, but not the way Yuuri expected. "Ambassador Walruf is demanding from Shin Makoku the immediate relinquishment and total surrender of the four keys to Greater Shimaron."

Yuuri's breath left his body in a rush. "The keys?" Wasn't this the reason he'd kept Morgif a secret in the first place? People feared those who held more power than them.

His trembling hands curled into fists. He couldn't let this happen. He drew a deep breath. "What has been said so far in the negotiations?" he questioned, mind already furiously working on what needed to be done next.

He was not, however, prepared for Gwendal's answer. "Nothing."

The teen spluttered. "Nothing!" he echoed in disbelief.

Gwendal's expression was extremely pinched. "I've been attempting to negotiate with the Ambassador throughout the day, but Walruf will not move on his position. We have until tomorrow to hand over the keys, or prepare for full out war against Greater Shimaron and its allies."

"Including the ones that use to be ours?" Yuuri felt sick. His eyes darted to the window, only to wish that he hadn't looked. Night was already setting in. The sun was already mostly gone from the sky. "Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?" he turned back to the two brothers. "Our time's almost up." The words shook, hanging ominously in the air.

What could he hope to do before the deadline?

There was no accusation, just a sickening dread in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I apologize, that would be my doing, your majesty," replied his knight. Conrad was still standing about as far away from the desk as he could.

"_Because then I'll loose him." _The words still echoed loudly in Yuuri's mind.

"But with the last two incidents," the soldier continued. Yuuri blinked and then grimaced. Now was not the time to have his head in the clouds. He knew which two incidents Conrad was referring to, the one where he blew up his bedroom and the other where the spy had been listening in on his and Conrad's conversation. "I thought it was best to have you keep a lower profile, since not all the threats posed by Wal-"

"Conrad!" Gwendal warned sharply. The soldier quickly cut himself off.

"What did Walruf do?" Yuuri butted in. Even only half said, Conrad's warning didn't surprise him. After all, the ambassador had been bullying his knight. "What exactly did the two of you say?" He aimed the question at the soldier.

Conrad to all appearances remained impassive, even though some vibe told Yuuri the soldier was extremely agitated. Gwendal was the one to answer. Maybe his older brother's words had struck more of a cord in Conrad than even Yuuri realized.

"Sir Weller took it into his own hands to threaten Ambassador Theodore von Walruf's life, after also accusing him of being responsible for the spy that you two detected."

And, if Yuuri had been following the brothers' earlier conversation correctly, Conrad had no proof. There were going to be repercussions, Yuuri knew, even without Gwendal's warning. He just hoped it really wouldn't lead to war.

His lips tightened into a thin line. Conrad wasn't making eye contact with him. Pursuing what happened wasn't going to get them anywhere. They were already short on time.

"Gwendal," the young Maou finally addressed the older mazoku. "What can you tell me of the Ambassador?"

"He stubborn," Cheri's eldest son replied tiredly. "Barely listens to anything I say to him. The best we can hope for, at this point, would be if he would be willing to shift _any_ of the terms of his demands."

"You don't sound hopeful," Yuuri remarked quietly.

Surprisingly, it was Conrad who answered with downcast eyes. "Walruf's already made it clear to everyone that the only way he'll leave here peacefully is with the four keys."

Yuuri shivered. "Doesn't he know that the keys are living beings?"

Yuuri didn't like the tired crinkled look on Conrad's face. "Yuuri," the soldier began gently, "that's exactly why he's demanding them."

Words didn't even begin to describe the feelings of horror and disgust that ran through the young Maou. He bit his lip, mind working furiously. There had to be a solution.

"I…" his own voice startled him. He slowly regarded the two brothers, taking a moment to study their grim expressions. Conrad and Gwendal didn't know how to get out of this. The far too young Maou swallow hard. "I won't let the keys be handed over. Greater Shimaron's just going to use them as hostages and bargaining chips." Yuuri's expression was set, and no trace of doubt lingered in his eyes.

"We're not going to give up on talks just yet either," he continued. "I'll try this time to negotiate with the Ambassador, and then… if that completely fails…" no more needed to be said.

Conrad's heart felt very heavy in his chest.

The young Maou was going to see this through to the bitter end… even if that end happened to be upon a battlefield.

Throat tight, Conrad couldn't find his voice to speak. Yuuri probably didn't even realize he was one of the four keys. A half exclaimed noise escaped the knight's lips, the closest the truth would ever get to being revealed. Too many secrets were already being kept.

What good would revealing the teen's status do now?

Yuuri was going to defend them to the end, regardless if he knew who the keys were or not. Conrad's gaze flickered to Gwendal, but his older brother refused to make eye contact. The decision to speak was all his.

From what he'd learned from the Great Sage last time, none of them were permanently keys. All of them had to fulfill an extra condition than just being a descendant of a particular family. The confrontation with Shinou still haunted Conrad for that reason.

The Original King had revealed the knight's feelings for Yuuri, and for a few moments the key in the young Maou's blood had been active. The teen's trigger was unrequited love, and as things were now… Conrad wondered if Yuuri was currently a key or not.

The knight knew he could do nothing for his own. Shinou's words still haunted him. _"Abandon everything to create the world Yuuri wishes for." _A cold shudder ran down the knight's spine. Even now, he'd do anything to make that dream a reality.

His hands tightened at his sides. "You should know than, your majesty," the words just started tumbling out of his mouth on their own accord. "I'm… I'm the…" but he couldn't say the rest.

Yuuri gave him a sad smile. "I already know, Conrad," he replied gently. The knight was stunned. "Back when I thought you were.. dead… They tried to activate End-of-the-Earth with your arm."

How could he say that so calmly? Conrad couldn't understand. Only the turmoil in the teen's dark eyes revealed how upsetting Yuuri still found the memories.

The young Maou's focus shifted to Gwendal. "The same box, which took Hube's eye." Conrad's brother breathed in sharply.

Yuuri said nothing more, simply waited for the two brothers to catch their thoughts. Conrad swallowed hard, before finally asking, "And.. the other two keys?"

Surprisingly the young Maou just shrugged. "I don't know." He sheepishly ran a hand through his short hair. "I would guess that they're here in Shin Makoku… along with the four boxes. Got to have both complete sets after all, right?" His smile was just as weak as the joke.

The joke however, reminded the knight that there was another piece of information the young Maou was missing. "There's something else that you should know, your majesty," began Conrad. "The… boxes, they're currently.. well…"

"Ashes," finished Gwendal.

Yuuri gaped. "They've been dusted!" He bounded back onto his feet. "I thought they were suppose to be tougher that that! If that's true…" The teen's face suddenly scrunched up. "Wouldn't that make them the Forbidden Ashes then?" Gwendal's eyebrow twitched visibly. Yuuri should have taken that as a sign to leave well enough alone. "I mean, they're… not even boxes anymore…" Gwendal glowered full force at the teen, making the young Maou slowly sink back into the chair.

"Your majesty," Cheri's eldest son ground out. "Regardless of their state, the Forbidden _Boxes_," Yuuri winced, "should never be treated as harmless. They're dangerous no matter what state they're in."

"I know." The matter of fact tone with which Yuuri spoke, chilled Conrad to the bone. "But without their keys, they're just plain old boxes… or more, ashes."

It struck the knight a second later. Yuuri had lived through more than one of the boxes exploding in his face, and still recalled one incident. The soldier's throat suddenly felt tight. His face must have paled because suddenly the young Maou's sharp eyes were fixed upon him.

The teen leaned forward in a very conspiratorial way, half covering his mouth from Gwendal, though the full mazoku could still plainly hear him. "I still think that they should be called 'The Four Forbidden Ashes', right Conrad?" He gave a quick grin, before his expression became grave. "If something… did happen, and one of them did go off, I know I have the power to stop the.," his eyes flickered to Gwendal, "boxes." He grinned with a soft laugh. "So, no worries! And that aside, we should probably meet with the Ambassador before it gets too late."

"And what exactly did you plan on saying to Ambassador Theodore von Walruf?" inquired Gwendal.

"I'm not going to yell at him for picking on Conrad, if that's what you're worried about," began Yuuri evenly. "And I realize he won't be an easy man to talk to, but I still have to try. I don't want this to end with war, and the only way to do that is by speaking to him in person."

There was a long silence, before Gwendal finally nodded his head once. "Very well." He turned to start leading the way, expecting Yuuri to follow.

"There's… one more thing," the young Maou suddenly spoke up. "I just wanted you two to know, no matter what happens… You will _always_ be protected here, in Shin Makoku, no matter what. I promise you that."

Conrad couldn't begin to form words. Gwendal however knew exactly what he wanted to say. "That is a very dangerous promise to make, your majesty" but his next actions overrode his words completely. He bowed deeply to the 27th Maou, relief clear on every line of his face. "But, I can not thank you enough for that promise. I will do everything in my power to make certain it won't come to that."

Yuuri nodded, a grin spreading across his face. He'd been right, Gwendal and Conrad had needed to hear that out loud. This was their home too, and no one was going to run them out of it. The teen's eyes drifted to the other half mazoku.

The soldier looked stricken.

"Conrad?" asked the young Maou.

The knight jumped. "I'm sorry, your majesty, the hour is getting late we should…"

But Yuuri was already shaking his head. "I think maybe… I think you and I need to talk first, Conrad." His gaze shifted to Gwendal. "You don't mind?"

"Please do remember that we still need to see the Ambassador." That was the only answer Conrad's brother gave before leaving the room. The soldier froze, somehow feeling more trapped, now that it was only the two of them.

"Thank you." The knight's focus snapped back to the young Maou. "For lending me your jacket." There was a light blush upon Yuuri's cheeks, but the way he was gently holding the knight's brown jacket up around his shoulders spoke volumes.

Conrad didn't answer for a long minute. He wasn't even certain when Yuuri had first noticed the coats presence. "You should keep in mind, your majesty," he found himself saying the words of a soldier. "When speaking to the ambassador that any hint of weakness on our part will end up with…" the knight struggled for the right word.

"Will end with me engaged to von Theodore?" supplied the teen, only partially joking.

Conrad tried very hard not to choke. "Something… like that," he finally managed to reply weakly.

The young Maou grinned at him. "I have to say, you look really cute like that." This time, Conrad did choke. "But you know," began Yuuri again, smiling still. "You're not going to loose me, Conrad."

If a pin had dropped the sound would've seemed deafening.

Yuuri however continued on like he hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. "I mean, I'm not stupid enough to slap the Ambassador across the left cheek, or anything like that and, well…" He glanced almost shyly toward the knight. "I really do care for you, Conrad."

Finally the soldier found his voice to answer, "you… heard what I said to Gwendal."

"That's right." Yuuri didn't see the point in denying it. Conrad stuttered, words falling over top of each other to the point that even he was no longer certain what he was trying to say. "Conrad." Yuuri's voice cut through his excuses like a knife, leaving him no other option but to fall silent. "If you don't want to tell me, I won't press. But like Gwendal said, if the Ambassador is going to use this as fodder against me, I think… wouldn't it be better if I heard if from you first?" The earnest question left Conrad at a loss of what to say.

But Yuuri was right. He had to tell him some of it. "Ranjeel is dangerous," he began slowly. "Even more so than that Ambassador he's sent. Ranjeel…" he paused, searching for the right word, "…his vendetta against us is also personal. He and his uncle were close."

Yuuri's head fell slightly. "I see…" It shouldn't have been surprising that the news of Belal's death was still weighing on the young Maou's mind. "But," began Yuuri, still gazing downward, "what do you think he's going to use against us?"

Conrad's sigh was heavy. "I can't even begin to predict what he could bring up, other than he can." He looked at the teen guiltily. "I can guess he'll probably use your kidnapping, and your presence at King Belal's death, but…" his gesture revealed how helpless he felt. "I… didn't arrive on the scene until everything was over."

"And I never said what happened," Yuuri answered, parroting the words Conrad had told him earlier. He ran a hand over his face. "And admitting I've no memory of what happened will just make it easier for them." Yuuri sighed, thinking quietly for a moment. "Right." Then with a nod, he turned to Conrad again. "We'll just have to hope for the best then." He clapped his hands together. "Should we go give it a try?" Sometimes the ease with which Yuuri went at things astonished the knight.

Yuuri stepped around the desk, intent on giving Conrad his jacket back, only to accidentally knock one of piles of paper off with the sleeve. A soft exclamation escaped his lips as he dove to pick them up- only to freeze before he even touched them.

The pages fluttered, falling slowly… just like…

"Paper mist."

"Yuuri?" The knight was suddenly right there at his side.

"What? Oh, sorry, sorry!" The teen scrambled, undecided between fleeing or picking up the scatter sheets, but Conrad caught his arm. He fell still, gazing up at the knight. The soldier's jacket fluttered to the floor forgotten.

They stood there silently, and Yuuri found himself studying his knight's gentle face. From the light brown eyes, different from any he'd seen before, down to the tiny scar through the edge of his right brow. Yuuri quietly absorbed each detail one by one. It made him wonder if his knight would let him-

"Yuuri? What's-"

Suddenly the young Maou was up on his toes, bringing him level with the other's height. Before the knight could react, Yuuri leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the side of Conrad's lips. The knight was too shocked to react.

Not even a moment later the young Maou pulled back, not meeting the knight's eyes. "We're going to face this together right?" his voice was shaking, even though they were both blushing terribly.

"Wha-" Conrad couldn't find his voice.

Maybe everything had finally hit home for Yuuri. That Shin Makoku could very easily be heading to war. Dark eyes finally flicked up to take in his expression and that was when Conrad realized he had still yet to answer.

He cleared his throat. "Of course, Yuuri." And he meant it, every word, but the teen's face was still just as pale.

"We should go," the teen commented, not making any move to do so. Conrad nodded, as loath as he was to admit it, they were already taken too long.

"I'll be with you ever step of the way." Without breaking contact, he began to steer the young Maou to the door.

"Oh," exclaimed Yuuri, just as they reached the door. "You're jacket…"

"It's fine," assured Conrad. It wasn't like Walruf would care. The Ambassador already had it out for him. The young Maou said nothing more.

Conrad nodded to Gwendal as they stepped out into the hallway.

His brother however faltered when he saw their shaky Maou. He shot Conrad a 'what-did-you-do-to-him' look.

The knight waved him off. They had to snap Yuuri out of this. He focused on the teen beside him. "Your majesty," began Conrad, "if you're not comfortable speaking with the Ambassador-"

That did the trick. Yuuri snapped out of whatever he'd fallen into. "No," he replied, before drawing a steadier breath. "I-I'll be fine. Let's go."

His stance had returned to normal, but the colour still didn't return to his face. Conrad wasn't fooled. Yuuri was still scared though didn't seem to be paralyzing now. He just wished there was something more he could do.

Gwendal led the way, far more confident now that their Maou wasn't visibly shaking. But a slow wiggling feeling of unease had started to come over Conrad. Something was going to happen. Yuuri's steps didn't falter once all to way to the throne room where Walruf waited.

With a deep breath, Yuuri pushed the doors open, marching in with the two brothers right on his heels. Only to fault two steps later when he saw Theodore von Walruf had draped himself sideways across Shin Makoku's throne, and didn't care in the slightest that he'd just been caught at it.

"Um…" began Yuuri uncertainly.

Walruf cut him off. "So _this _is the mighty and powerful Maou everyone's been blathering on about." The utter lack of respect in Walruf's voice wasn't a surprise. The ambassador was a bully, a very dangerous bully. Yuuri swallowed hard. "I was expecting someone far more mature, how… very disappointing."

Gwendal stepped forward sharply, but Yuuri held up a hand to stop him. Things couldn't turn ugly. He regarded Theodore with a wary gaze. "Ambassador," he acknowledged as calmly as he could. He'd forgotten the man's name again. "We've come to discuss the demands-"

"Clearly, or why else would you bother to be here?" Walruf gestured lazily to the large ballroom sized thrown room. "People only speak of two things about you, Maou: your utter _lack_ of brilliance, and your utter disregard for formal settings." Yuuri's mouth was dry. Funny, now he could see why Conrad didn't like this man.

Walruf suddenly set his feet down on the ground. Yuuri tensed, even though the room was all the way between them. Theodore leaned forward on Yuuri's thrown, regarding the teen with cold eyes. "Tell me, Maou, do you truly dislike formality? Or is it being a king that your truly despise?"

Yuuri swallowed hard again, doing his best to ignore the barb, no matter how much it stung. Focus, he told himself. The stakes were too high. He just had to remember to focus. This was for Shin Makoku and her people… this was for Conrad and Gwendal… he had to remember that.

With a steady breath, and determined eyes, he spoke, "I don't care what you think of me, ambassador, but I _am_ the 27th ruler of Shin Makoku." He took a step forward, and then another. He wasn't- he couldn't be afraid of Walruf. "We can stay here all night and beat around the bush, if that's what you want. I'm in no hurry." The ambassador hadn't moved from his perch on Yuuri's throne. Good. The teen was half way across the room now, Conrad following right with him. "Or we can skip that part, and get down to business."

Walruf was quiet for a very long time, which shocked Gwendal. Cheri's eldest son had chosen to hang back, even as Yuuri and Conrad continued to approach Shin Makoku's own thrown. This was the first time the representative from Greater Shimaron hadn't immediately come back with a sharp retort to something that was spoken to him.

"Very well, to business then," Theodore leaned back once more on Shin Makoku's throne. Yuuri wavered. The Ambassador's voice was softer. That _couldn't_ be a good sign. "Greater Shimaron has made its demands and they are _not _negotiable. You will surrender the fours keys, and that is final." He laced his fingers together, eyeing the Maou. "Your verdict, oh fearsome ruler?" Despite himself, Gwendal held his breath.

The young Maou was silent. He stood a safe distance from the base of the dais, which Theodore and the throne sat upon. The teen stood thinking, but his eyes never left the Ambassador.

"You realize, you're asking me to uproot four peoples lives, don't you?"

Walruf sneered at him. "Then choose the entire death of you nation, and be done with it."

"No, Ambassador," Yuuri's response was adamant. "What I choose is a way to save both our nations from the horrors of war, and that protects both our people."

Theodore was silent, though his face looked slightly paler. "Go on." Yuuri's skin prickled, nervousness rising. He'd been forced to take a half step forward just to hear the man.

"I think.." he swallowed hard, praying his voice sounded steadier than he thought it did. "I offer, on behalf of my nation to Greater Shimaron, and all the human countries you're here representing…."

He'd expected a smirk to be dancing on the representative's lips, but the man wasn't even focused on him anymore. Yuuri's insides twisted sickly. He needed the man's attention. Darn it, what was his name? Wall… Wall something. It had to do with cotton.. or maybe-

"_Wallfluff_!" he declared loudly, secretly pleased he'd remembered the man's name. He didn't notice Conrad's wince behind him. "I'll…." He prayed his knight wouldn't feel betrayed by this act. "I hear by surrender the Forbidden Boxes-" Involuntarily his eyes drifted to the side where Conrad was.

It was only for a second, but that was all it took.

Yuuri wished he'd been more careful. "LOOK OUT! YUURI!"

Conrad's hand clamped down on his shoulder, yanking him roughly backwards. His foot slipped and with a gasp, he lost his balance.

His attention however had returned forward. Theodore… was standing, hands out stretched into the space Yuuri had been occupying just moments before. Rage was present on every line of Walruf's pale face.

And there in the Ambassador's hand was a small blade thrust up in the air. Not even a few inches away from Yuuri's face as he tumbled backwards in slow motion. Had Conrad not grabbed him… that would have been in his throat. Yuuri didn't what to think about it. His heart constricted painfully. He'd been right… that's what started this all… a dagger…

Theodore von Walruf, Ambassador from Greater Shimaron, and representative of many frightened human nations, had, with one small knife, just tried to assassinate him.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Hey! Remember me? Well hopefully. Anyway, finally finished the newest chapter and betaed and all that. Extra long to make up for the wait, well longer than usual.

Hopefully updates should be quicker after this, I'm still not certain where the summer went… is that it over there? Nope… oh well.

I must say the best part of the chapter was writing the bit with Walruf at the end, and Yuuri forgetting his name. Heh. Of course having Yuuri kiss Conrad again always fun.

Well, hopefully you enjoyed it! See you next chapter, till then!


	4. Yuuri's Knight

Big thanks going out to my beta reader Merideth-kun!

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

"Yuuuri!" Conrad's cry was jarring more than anything. The soldier grabbed him, and before the teen could react he was being yanked backwards. The sudden flash of a small knife where his neck had been seconds before was surreal. That Walruf hadn't hesitated was terrifying.

How could… how could anyone do something like that?

And then the ambassador was coming at him again. Conrad shouted. Gwendal did too, but his feet just weren't listening anymore. What had he done to get the ambassador so mad? Had he pronounced his name wrong? Could something like that explain the fury that had contorted the other's face?

"Yuuri!" Conrad bellowed again, and then the knight was between them. He didn't understand what happened next. The ambassador lunged in close, and Conrad threw his blade out to stop him, but never took a step back to give himself more room to move. It was almost like he was scared of tripping over the teen.

Then Conrad's back went stiff, and he was staggering backwards. Yuuri moved instinctively, keeping his knight between him and the ambassador, even though his mind had yet to fully process what was happening.

Conrad swiped fiercely at the man. Theodore darted away, but his eyes were still locked on Yuuri. A chill ran down the teen's spine. The ambassador looked pale. It reminded him of a bird of pray slowly, slowly circling, searching for the right second to pounce.

But something was wrong.

Conrad… Conrad was… It took a moment for his eyes to finally zero in on the difference. The soldier's free hand… was in front of his chest, somewhere near the bottom of his ribcage, out of Yuuri's line of sight. That hand was used for balance, so why did–

There was a squeak from Conrad's left boot. Yuuri didn't want to look, and yet his eyes immediately tracked to the floor. He stopped dead. Half hidden under Conrad's foot was a smeared impression of his tread in blood. But that- where had the blood come from?

A roar from Theodore, and Conrad charged to meet him. Left shoe half prints following in his wake. Where had-?

He couldn't breathe.

"Your majesty!"

Gwendal grabbed him, yanking him away.

"Quickly, this way!"

But Conrad… was still fighting. Theodore was furious at the young Maou behind the knight, he wouldn't-

A cry of warning, and the ambassador was barreling down on him again. Gwendal spun, sword drawn. He forced the teen behind his own body, using it now as an extra shield. Beyond Gwendal, and past Walruf, Yuuri could see Conrad desperately trying to catch the ambassador.

His hand was pressed tightly against his chest, desperately trying to stanch a bleeding wound. There was a clang of metal upon metal, as Gwendal met the ambassador's attack. Theodore weaved around the other's blows, desperately trying to pass him. He swiped viciously at Gwendal with a knife stained in blood.

Theodore had…

"Yuuri look out!"

The ambassador had ducked Gwendal's attack, and shot right passed him.

"Yuuri!"

Theodore had hurt…

Nothing stood between him and Ambassador Theodore von Walruf.

Theodore had hurt Conrad.

Suddenly everything just clicked, and reality felt razor sharp.

Theodore had hurt _his knight! _

With a bellow, which could only be described as a demon's howl, the Maou rushed forth. With not even a half formed attack, he flung his raw maryoku at the ambassador. Walruf tried to twist to avoid, but wasn't quick enough.

He didn't even have a chance to gasp as it exploded like a bomb in his face. With a deafening bang, everything was flattened. The great windows shattered, and glass fell, clattering and tinkling like rain. All of them were thrown away from the Maou like rag dolls.

Out in the streets, citizens and soldiers froze alike in their evening tasks. All eyes fixed fearfully upon the twisting black clouds that had just appeared over Blood Pledge Castle. Something had happened, the whispers began, and that something had drawn the full wrath of their ruler.

An eerie silence had descended over the throne room.

Walruf coughed and gasped, struggling to push himself up. He'd been thrown half way across the hall, back towards the throne. The two mazoku that had been behind him, hadn't been so lucky. One was slumped unmoving against the base of the wall, blood tricking from his hairline.

While the other had been knocked back into the Maou's thrown. That one was apparently still conscious. Though the stab wound to his chest was more than bad enough to keep him down, and finish him off.

Theodore spat at the ground, struggling up onto his feet. He staggered backward, glancing around the ruined hall- only to freeze once again.

The Maou, with blazing serpentine eyes, stood in the center of his own wildly whirling maryoku, unaffected by the maelstrom. Maryoku whipped around the half enclosed space, whistling in the empty windows. Walruf only had a moment long enough for every instinct to scream he was missing his knife, before the teen's power flared again and he was thrown back. He slammed painfully into the back wall. A gasp and a choke escaped his lips, before he was smashed into the stone again. A third blast of maryoku followed not even a breath later, making the stone wall crack.

Flashes of white hot lightening forked from the sky. The wind howled as a full blown gale began to manifest itself around the castle. The Maou advanced upon Walruf. The ambassador struggled, but could not find the strength to move. Glass shards cracked loudly at the Maou's approach, turning into nothing more than dust before the teen's feet even touched them.

Defiant to the last, Theodore snarled at the child. Only to realize, what he stared down was no longer the little befuddled brat who had come into the throne room. That _thing _was a monster, and for the first time Theodore von Walruf was afraid of the being called Shin Makoku's 27th ruler.

There was no trace of mercy visible anywhere in the Maou's stance.

The ambassador's heart rattled fitfully in his chest. In those rage filled black orbs called eyes there was only the promise of death. The teen came to an abrupt stop, inches before the terrified man. Theodore tried to shrink away from the other's maryoku which was biting his flesh like fire.

The teen's hand rose, and there clutched in his fisted hand was the ambassador's knife. Never breaking eye contact, the Maou drew his hand back. The blood covered knife sparkled wickedly, aimed steadily for the man's heart. With a snarl that was like a booming crack of thunder, the Maou spoke.

"Punishment."

Lightening flashed.

Theodore screamed.

The knife came down.

"YUURI!"

A hand clamped down on the Maou's wrist, stopping the weapon inches from Walruf's chest. "Yuuri stop." Conrad's arm shook as he struggled to pull the teen's hand back. He was standing behind the Maou, breathing heavily, one hand pressed to his injury while he fought to stop the Maou.

"Please, don't do this," he beseeched.

The teen's maryoku rolled dangerously. The knight didn't so much as flinch as the power began to sizzle and burn his skin. His fear grew. Shinou's power had felt just like this at the temple.

"Yuuri listen to me."

Their soul link burned brightly in his mind. The teen was feeding off Soushu's rage, which dwelled within the knight, using it to push his power that much further.

The knife inched forward dangerously.

"Don't do this, Yuuri! Please!"

He tried to quell Soushu's rage, desperately trying to burry it somewhere Yuuri couldn't reach. He didn't want this! He didn't want Yuuri to become a killer! For the briefest moment there was a flicker of comprehension from the young Maou, only to be drowned out in the maelstrom of his power not even a moment later.

The blade shook from both their grips, the sharp tip piercing through Walruf's clothes.

"Yuuri!" Conrad pleaded desperately.

The knight let go of his own injury, and with shaky movements, he tightly wrap his arm around the young Maou who'd stolen his heart. His blood covered fingers tangled tightly into the young Maou's uniform.

Panic welled up in the soul link, but even that twisted into fueling the thirst for destroying Walruf. Conrad's head was spinning. He had to stop this. Stop him. Stop Theodore from hurting anyone else!

The knife pressed forward. "NO!" yelled Conrad, throwing all the weight he could into yanking the blade back. The knife barely moved.

Their soul link was too open, and the knight knew he wasn't immune. It was… it was blurring their thoughts together. If he wasn't careful the ambassador- who acted more like an assassin- was going to end up- killing them both!- The Ambassador needed- _deserved _to be- _kept _from harm- ing other- and the knife, he had to stop- holding it back!

"STOP!" He shook his head wildly. The Maou's, no, Shousho's righteous fury sang in every fiber of his being. He screwed his eyes shut. "I won't! I won't let you have him!" He drew Yuuri protectively back against him. His heart beat against the teen's back, even as his blood stained the Maou's black jacket. "Yuuri…" he was running out of energy. His head fell forward, coming to rest upon the Maou's shoulder. He wasn't going to be able to hold the knife back much longer.

"This isn't how to deal with Walruf," he whispered to the teen. "You're better than this, Yuuri. You know killing isn't the answer." The lithe body froze against him. "Just… let the knife go. Let it go, Yuuri. Please."

There was a long tense moment, and then every muscle in Yuuri's body went limp. "Con…rad.." The teen's fingers slipped, and the next moment Conrad was drawing the weapon back.

Like a snuffed out birthday candle, the wildly raging maryoku vanished like smoke.

Yuuri's legs gave out, and Conrad unable to support his weight, sank with him to the floor. The teen fell heavily against his chest, making the knight bite back a grunt of pain. The last fading strands of their soul link however, were more than enough for Yuuri to pick up on his mental flinch.

The teen's head snapped around. Conrad tensed- until he saw Yuuri's innocent dark eyes, staring up at him. Even pale faced, the knight couldn't hide his relief. He drew his trembling arm just a little tighter around the young Maou. "Conrad.."

He should have known- remembered about Walruf. Later, the knight would curse his short sightedness. But at the time, they had no warning. One minute they were catching their breath, the next Walruf pounced upon them. Yuuri yelped as the man crashed into them, flaying wildly.

Conrad snarled, trying to throw the ambassador off. There was a confusion of tangled limbs. Someone dug sharply into the soldier's wound. The knight cried out, stars blooming in his vision.

"Conrad!" The young Maou was torn from his grasp, and only luck saved the knife from being stolen away.

Yuuri struggled, trying to break free. "Let me go!" But he'd used too much maryoku and, even worse for wear, Walruf over powered him. The teen stumbled as Walruf jerked him backwards. "Conra-" The ambassador's arm snapped tightly around his neck, choking his words off.

Conrad was scrambling to get to his feet, anger written upon his face.

Yuuri gasped desperately for air around the restraint on his throat, making a horrible sound that only darkened his knight's expression. The soldier dove at them, knife clutched tightly.

"Stop right there!" snarled Walruf. "Or I- break his neck!" The ambassador's other hand pressed harshly against the side of the teen's face, forcing Yuuri's neck at an odd angle. The young Maou winced. Conrad immediately froze. "Dr-op the knife." The knight didn't even hesitate, he carelessly threw away the weapon behind him. It clattered nosily against the stone floor, but his eyes never left the ambassador.

Walruf was still backing away toward the wall of broken windows, dragging a stumbling Yuuri along with him. "Good. Tr-try any..thing an-" The ambassador's breaths were labored.

Guilt stabbed Yuuri's heart. The man was having trouble breathing. He'd hurt him far worse than he'd realized. This was his fault.

"…an' I don't hes-itat-te." He shook Yuuri to prove his hold, making the teen's head spin.

There was whining in his ears. He could barely see his knight. The soldier's form shook with repressed fury. Unless he did something fast, Conrad was going to act first. Yuuri struggled to draw breath.

His voice was a weak whisper, strained from Walruf's hold on his throat. "Can't we.. talk- nicely and… maybe peacefully?" He wished he hadn't tried. Theodore backhanded him. Yuuri winced as one of the ambassador's nails sliced the side of his temple open, narrowly avoiding his eye.

Brightly dancing stars filled his vision. "Yuuri!" Conrad's voice cut over the annoying buzzing filling his ears. "Let him go, you bastard!" His knight should have sounded stronger, nigh unstoppable, and yet… all the confident power was gone.

"Scum," hissed Walruf. The ambassador sounded worse off, and yet the hold on his throat never wavered.

The young Maou swallowed hard with difficultly. His breaths were loud and raw, making his throat hurt. He blinked wildly, trying to see passed the stars. He squeezed his eyes shut, only to fight to open them again. His heart sank. Blurred shapes danced across his vision. He'd seen this before.

Paper mist…

…A crushing hand… over a gaping abyss… a seas of broken glass… …and… …a tiny blade, covered in blood… …but… …a detail was different… …He hadn't been alone… Conrad had been at his side, and had pulled him away before… …a searing pain in his throat…

Yuuri didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. He was alive still, but that meant…

Glass splintered under Theodore's foot. They were teetering close to the edge of one of the broken windows. Rain crashed loudly, the sound almost deafening.

Yuuri's lips parted twisting to form shapes. Things could be changed. He needed to warn, "Co..n….ra…d…"

The soldier… his knight must have understood. He suddenly sprang forward, hand desperately outstretched. Horror was written across Conrad's pale face. But as it was, he was far too slow. There was a small gleeful chuckle from behind Yuuri, and then Walruf flung him out the high window.

"YUURI!"

He was falling. Cold rain struck his face, hissing in his ears. Dark clouds swirled above him, filled with bright flashes of lightening. Gone was the interior of the hall, now nothing more than a fading memory, and then…

Conrad was there.

The knight was leaning dangerously out the broken window, empty hand thrown desperately out to him. Even with his waning strength, Yuuri somehow managed to move his arm.

He longingly reached up for the soldier. Their fingers brushed… and then all they held was air.

A cry of despair escaped Conrad. He dove farther forward, not caring that he nearly slipped out the window. He snatched at the air, but Yuuri was already too far out of reach. Two heavy hands grabbed hold of him from behind, yanking him back into the throne room just as his precarious position was about to slip.

The last thing he saw of Yuuri was the young Maou plummeting silently into the mists below.

Then Gwendal was pulling him to his feet. When his brother had regain consciousness, he never knew. His brother spoke, perhaps asking how he was, but the knight was not listening. A delighted laugh cut through the shock blanketing him. His gaze rose, anger building to beat in time with his heart. Walruf stood, leaning heavily against the opposite side of the broken window frame, laughing.

A smirk danced across the bastard's face when he saw the knight's gaze.

With a guttural cry, Conrad threw himself at the ambassador. Gwendal bellowed his name, but it was too late. He crashed full force into the retched man, and with a gasp, they plummeted out into empty space.

The cold rain was a shock to Conrad's system. They tumbled down, the soldier on top and Walruf beneath him. The mist rose up fast, ensnaring them tightly in its grasp. Neither one were prepared for the sudden impact with the ground.

Walruf hit first. He smacked harshly back first into the mud. The impact was enough to send Conrad toppling away. The knight growled, not thinking as he twisted about, and threw himself at the man again.

They splashed back into the mud, grappling with each other: fists, hands and feet flying every which way. Conrad snarled, smacking the ambassador in the nose. He didn't care, he didn't care at all how much he hurt the man.

Walruf struck harshly at his stab wound, digging his fingers into it. Conrad howled, retaliating with a heavy strike at the man's face. The blow dazed Theodore, and from there it was an easy task to pin the bastard to the ground.

The night hung heavily around them. Rain cascaded down, dripping from the knight's hair. Half hidden in the darkness, Conrad's expression was murderous. The ambassador was regarding him with an unwavering calm and that only made his temper worse.

"Well?" Theodore sneered when the knight didn't speak.

Conrad tightened the grip of his one hand around the ambassador's throat, hoping it was every bit as painful at it looked. "I warned you," he hissed, voice cutting through the downpour. "I warned you not to touch a hair on his head." There was no one there, but them. Who was to say that the ambassador _hadn't _survived the fall?

"And what do you plan to do, _soldier?_"

Conrad's answering smile was cruel. He knew far too many ways in which to make a death look like an accident. He was no stranger to assassinations, and having a spy for a friend only added to that.

"What do you think, _ambassador?_"

A low weak laugh escaped that man's lips, confusing Conrad. "You think that scares me?" he wheezed, voice not even a whisper. His lips were blue. How long-? "You've already killed me." A cold feeling rushed through Conrad. "And yet, you still seek the pleasure of doing it with your own hands. You're nothing more than a monster."

Conrad felt sick. Oh gods, Shousho's temper. He almost jerked back, but this man was still dangerous no matter how he saw it. "You were…" The knight's voice shook, "You were poisoned?"

Walruf let out a shuddering gasp of air. His skin was already cold to the touch. Suddenly it made an eerie but terrible sense: why Walruf hadn't retorted so sharply to Yuuri's words, why the man had attacked, and why he'd been pale and wheezing the whole time. He'd been poisoned.

Someone… someone had set them up.

Conrad's skin crawled. "How? How did this-" He trailed out. His words were too little, too late.

Ambassador Theodore von Walruf, the representative from Greater Shimaron was already dead.

Rain pattered, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Shakily Conrad silently rose, moving away from the corpse. He spared Walruf one last look, before he turned resolutely away. Shin Makoku was in danger.

He had to find the young Maou. "Yuuri!" He called out through the storm, trying to see passed the heavy mists and the encroaching night. He couldn't make out anything. "YUURI!" But there was no answer.

He glanced up, but even the high windows of the throne room were obscured. Where could the teen have fallen? "Yuuri…" he whispered. It couldn't have been too far away, but then maybe he had landed badly.

He shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought, only to regret the motion. The world abruptly slanted sideways, and Conrad crashed painfully into the wall of the castle. He pressed against it, eyes screwed tightly shut. He gasped harshly for air. Unaware of the gruesome blood streak he'd left upon the stone.

Another breath, but it was uneven and ragged. Everything was too loud, like someone had just sharply turned up the volume on his ears. He slowly cracked his eyes open, blinking hard at the specks that appeared in his vision.

It was only about then that he realized that one of his hands had instinctively clamped down on his injury again. Gingerly he lifted his hand, only to stare at it. He blinked stupidly, but the red dyed skin didn't change.

Was he really loosing that much blood?

He looked down, as though that would answer his question. He knew Walruf's attack had been bad, but…

A chill began to creep over him. Now looking at it, in truth, it was a miracle he was still standing. His knees began to shake. Conrad almost began to laugh. Apparently he'd spoken too soon. He glanced out at the mist covered courtyard. Yuuri had to be out there. He just… Conrad didn't think he could stay standing long enough to find him anymore.

Damn blood loss and all its difficulties.

But Yuuri…

Desperately Conrad tried to make a grab for their soul link. Strangely… for some reason… the connection felt weak. Fleetingly he brushed against it, only to feel utter panic from the young Maou. This time Conrad did chuckle, even as he slowly slid down the wall to his knees. Yuuri had been frantically trying to find him, not aware how badly injured the knight really was.

The teen was no better off than he was… or maybe that wasn't true. He was the one bleeding all over the place. Another weak chuckle escaped him. Yozak had _never_ liked his humour when he got like this. Too bad, since the redhead was the one who always saw him at death's door.

His jokes had always been bad.

"Yuuri…" whispered the knight. He wondered where the teen had been. From what he could tell, Yuuri was now rushing _back _to find him. His vision began to dim, and the sounds, which had been so loud, were now slipping away one by one.

He couldn't hear the rain, though its steady tempo still tapped against his skin. His body felt heavy.

When had his eyes fallen shut? He couldn't remember…

Phantom like fingers ran gently through his hair.

_Yu…uri…? _The word didn't pass his lips.

"Yeah Conrad, it's me."

Confusion welled up. Their soul link wasn't-

"Hey… make sure you don't give up on finding me, okay?"

What? Why was his voice.. trembling…?

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I forced things to play out this way… I-I hadn't meant for you to get hurt. But I… I couldn't face him alone."

Fingers brushed his cheek.

"I can't face any of this… alone. Conrad, you have to find me. Please! If nothing else!"

He fought to open his eyes.

"I don't want it to turn out like my–"

Conrad's eyes snapped open. The hand was gone. Dark clouds greeted him… and the endless fall of raindrops. No one was there. No.. one… at all…

"Conrad!"

A face appeared in his dimming vision. Panic lined every one of their pale features. He knew them… as well as his own name. Dark eyes, and darker hair. His lips slipped apart, struggling to say the teen's name.

Yuuri dropped to his knees beside him.

"It's alright."

Conrad didn't understand. Was his mind playing tricks on him again?

"It's going to be alright."

Yuuri was crying. Even in all this rain, he could tell his… what was Yuuri to him again? He knew the word he wanted to use, but that wasn't allowed.

"I'm going to heal you, okay?"

Yuuri.. couldn't have enough energy to do that.

"So j-just hang on."

He wasn't… it wasn't that bad.

"Don't you- don't you dare die, Conrad!"

Wait… he'd seen the wound already. It _was _that bad.

"We've… there's lots still to do.. right?"

He was making a mess of Yuuri's hand, his blood staining Yuuri's pale skin. But the teen didn't even seem to notice.

"I don't- I don't want to loose you."

But he was…

"Conrad?"

The world was blurring dangerously. He couldn't remember… remember something important he wanted to say. Something he wanted to say to the young Maou. Now… he might not get... the chance… All he could feel was a retreating sense of rain.

"Conrad!" Yuuri lurched forward, panicked, careful not to put any weight on the wound he was healing. He clutched Conrad's bloody hand desperately to his chest. "Hey! Wake up!" His maryoku flickered feebly around his hand, which was lightly pressed to the knight's open injury. "Conrad!"

The knight's lips- stained an ominous shade of blue- moved, forming soft words. "I'm… gla..d… you're… s…af..e…" Yuuri's heart lurched. He opened his mouth, but couldn't find any words to say. His throat felt tight. Tears burned in his eyes, Conrad had only gotten hurt because of him.

He scrubbed fiercely at his face.

He had to save him. No matter what, he _had _to save his knight.

**ooooooooooooooooooo**

Wheeeee! Well, that was an intense chapter to write. Maybe a little too dark, now that I look back at it. Oops. Blasted story has a mind of its own, originally I hadn't planned for Walruf to do that.

This chapter ended up with several rewrites, which took a bad turn for poor Conrad. 1st draft I wrote actually had him still standing on his feet by the end of the chapter. I think Walruf just nicked him, and Yuuri was the one in major trouble. Of course with the subsequent rewrites he went from fine to limping and then… well, as you see above.

Other small changes that happened through the rewrites were things like where Conrad ended up after falling out the window with Walruf. Or how long Conrad searched for Yuuri was. How many steps does Conrad take now, two? Yesh.

Other thing I noticed reading the chapter over once more, was how many times the main couple shout the other's name. "CONRAD!" "Yuuri! "YUURI!" "Conrad!" And so forth. Maybe I should start keeping a tally… hmm.

Anyway, happy early Halloween!

Big thanks to all my reviewers:

**Issm: **Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter. To answer your question about the line Conrad was going to say to Yuuri (before Gwendal interrupted) the full line goes something like, "I thought it was best to have you keep a lower profile, since not all the threats posed by Walruf can be easily detected." Basically it isn't so much the words itself that Gwendal is objecting to, but rather that Conrad was accusing the ambassador with little to no proof that Walruf was involved. Of course, after what's just happened, I think Conrad can say a big fat "I told you so" to Gwendal. The other reason Gwendal interrupted is because Conrad was bringing up (in Gwendal's mind) his baseless accusations to Yuuri, and him being the ruler, Yuuri has the power to act on Conrad's gut instinct, and with little to no proof of Walruf actually being involved, Gwendal only saw it as a way of things getting a whole lot worse. Too bad he didn't see what actually happened coming. I hope that answers your question. I'd be happy to answer anymore you had. Thanks again for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Aida13: **I think I failed on the don't end the next chapter as a cliffhanger request. Heh. Ah well, more fun for me at least! Mwahaaa. Sadly I think I have another cliffie for the 5th chapter as well. Oops. Hmm, good question, where is the missing guards and spy? Just have to wait and see on that one I'm afraid. I'm glad to hear you like the image of _Wallfluff _draping himself on Yuuri's throne. I actually had a line where Yuuri asked Gwendal "Um, is he allowed to do that?" But sadly had to cut it out. I'm glad you enjoyed the kiss scene between Yuuri and Conrad. I've got a few more planned before the end of the story. Wheee! I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter, and thanks ever so much for you wonderful review!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! See you all next chapter!


	5. Consequences

Big thanks to my beta Merideth-kun!

ooooooooooooooooooo

Yuuri desperately clutched one of the soldier's hands to his chest. His healing maryoku spluttered, barely staying alive long enough to do its purpose. The wound Walruf had inflicted upon his knight was still open and bleeding badly.

"Conrad?" His voice echoed off the high stone walls of his castle, repeating the feeble and wavering call over and over again. Tears choked up his throat, but he refused to be overpowered by them.

His voice shook as he desperately tried to reassure himself. "I-I can do this." The words sounded hallow to his own ears. "I have to do this." A small sob escaped him. "Conrad…" He knew nothing of medicine.

What was he suppose to do against an injury like this? His little magic trick of glowing green light needed new batteries- if the spinning in his head was anything to go by. And the only other first aid he knew was CPR, and that wasn't going to do him squat here.

Ice cold rain fell, freezing him to the bone. The ground was a thick swamp of mud, oozing through his clothes, leeching away the warmth from his skin.

"I have to get it sealed," he told himself, the flow of his own quivering voice helping him focus. "Gisela can do the rest, or… or until someone… else comes…" Even as he powered his magic into Conrad's chest, he clasped the soldier's hand tightly to his own heart. "Someone… has to.. has to find us… soon right?"

Mist hung heavy around them. Thunder cracked overhead, but there was no other sound. He blinked harshly; fighting to see past the distorted shapes in his blurring vision. "I have to…" he was gasping desperately for air now. "…have to.."

If he didn't seal Conrad's injury, then the soldier was going to…

Yuuri swallowed thickly, not wanting to finish that thought. "Focus." He choked the word out. "Focus," he repeated. "Focus!" He uttered it over and over again like a mantra.

He shut his eyes, his blurred sight doing nothing but distracting him. He knew the results of maryoku exhaustion. The others were going to be mad at him after this. Too dangerous- shouldn't do it- And Conrad would think that too! Maryoku was dangerous… he agreed with that…

But this was all his fault.

And… and they didn't know that. He loved Shin Makoku. That's… that's why he'd faced the Ambassador, even though he was so scared… so very scared…

"Did you know.. Conrad?" the words slipped passed his lips.

…the knight had been right at his side… and that had given him courage… If he hadn't…

"The reason I was so scared to leave Gwendal's office."

Paper mist, and a searing pain.

"I knew.. that the Ambassador was going kill me. I… I saw it."

Gapping abyss, and a sea of glass.

"And," he swallowed hard. The fear, the pain, and tears he'd been trying to hold back, surging forth and making him openly sob. "And, if I've traded my own life for yours-"

His maryoku was failing, his senses dimming.

"I'll never.. forgive myself…"

There was a ringing in his ears, steadily growing to a dull roar. Tears burned behind his shut eyes, but he was almost done. Head swimming, he passed his fingers over the last of the injury. His maryoku faded, and with a gasp, he toppled forward, collapsing onto the soldier's chest.

He drew in a deep breath, filling his lungs with air, shivering from exhaustion. He couldn't even find the strength to open his eyes. The knight's hand suddenly felt crushing against his cold fingers, and he could do nothing but cling to it. The dizzy spinning that had filled his head, now felt like a far away thing. His own awareness dimmed, but he knew through it all that…

Conrad's wound was closed- not fully repaired, but no longer bleeding.

And that knowledge, he realized as he sank deeper into darkness, would have to suffice.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Something was wrong. The thought was slow to trickle across the soldier's mind. His hand was empty.

..Yu…uri…

Blindly he tried to reach out for the teen, but his arm wouldn't listen. His fingers twitched uselessly in the mud. Slowly the limb sank deeper into the mire.

Where…?

Through half lidded eyes, Conrad gazed briefly at the world. Haze danced wildly through his unfocused vision, leaving the world an indistinct mess. Blurred shapes moved, flitting about like shadows cased by a candle flame.

He tried to move again, only to cause a heavy moan to escape his lips. One of the shapes stopped abruptly, and then started rushing toward him. Their motions were dizzying to his eyes. He blinked slowly, only to find once he opened his eyes again that there was something- someone kneeling over him. Their body sheltered him slightly from the storm.

He blinked again, focusing upon the dark overcast sky he could just make out past the person's head. He hadn't even realized it was still raining.

Sound began to register with his ears, several voices, but he couldn't understand what they were saying. He refocused on the face above him, only to slowly realize it was Yozak. His friend looked frantic. Oh dear… was he dying again? Conrad honestly couldn't remember.

Maybe Yuuri knew…

His brows drew slowly together. The redhead was speaking again. His lips moved, but Conrad heard nothing. All his attention had returned to the cold feeling of his empty hand.

Where was…

His breath hitched. Pain blossomed in his chest. A small cry passed his lips as his eyes screwed shut. Panicked shouts went up. "Captain! We're going to… out of the mud… …to Gisela." Blurred words. He didn't understand.

Frantic movements. They were trying to pull him out of the mud. He struggled, too disoriented to think clearly. His chest hurt. He gasped desperately for air, his body wailing in protest. Every muscle tensed. Yozak was speaking again, but it was all… all just…

Darkness… and he was drowning in it.

"There's no open wounds!"

The rain was gone. His body felt like lead. Darkness still clung to the edges of his mind, but there was something important…

"He must have…" the voice dropped out, leaving nothing but an empty whine in his ears.

Yuuri… where was…

"…maryoku again!"

Whe..re…

"…then where's-"

"…Yu..uri…" All sound abruptly stopped around Conrad, when he softly uttered the teen's name. There was a scent of herbs and fresh linen in the air. His eyebrows knitted as he fought to open his eyes.

"Conrad?" Someone moved closer. "Conrad, can you hear me?" It felt like they'd even taken his hand. "Try and open your eyes." His fingers felt frozen. "Conrad." He struggled to follow the request. "That's it." It felt like an eternity, but finally he managed to lift his heavy lids. Blurry shapes filled his vision. "Conrad, can you tell me where Yuuri is?" His gaze drifted as he tried to find the speaker. "Conrad, where's Yuuri?" Blond hair, but he couldn't see their features. "Where is he, Conrad?"

He blinked slowly, and finally his eyes focused enough for him to see. Oh, this was his… "…little… bro..ther…" Conrad couldn't keep the small trace of a smile the came to his lips.

The shape with blond hair jerked back. It was nice seeing the other up and about again. His little brother had been too quiet recently… but he couldn't remember why…

"Conrad." The warm hands grasping his own were trembling ever so slightly. "Can you tell me where Yuuri is?"

Why did his brother sound like he was going to cry? Had something happened?

"Conrad?"

He couldn't… it was too hard to remember, and he was so very tired… so very…

"_Brother_?"

That… shook Conrad to his very core. Wolfram was tightly clutching his hand. Green eyes regarding him with worry. His brother… was worried about him, and not just his majesty.

His breath hitched. Pain throbbed dully in his chest. Wolfram began to repeat the question again, only this time Conrad cut him off. "Yu..uri…?" the knight whispered softly. "He's…" He muddled mind worked furiously, trying to recall what had transpired. "He fell…"

Wolfram swallowed hard. "I know, but what happened afterward?"

"…af..ter…?" echoed Conrad.

Wolfram shut his eyes tight. This wasn't going anywhere. Gisela stood just behind him, silently watching. The blond glanced back at her, before finally returning his attention to his brother. "Conrad." The soldier's eyes had fallen shut. "Conrad is there anything you can tell us? We… we can't find Yuuri."

But the knight gave no answer.

Gisela placed a gentle hand on Wolfram's shoulder. "He's exhausted," she told the young Bielefeld. "Let him rest. Lord von Voltaire already wants to speak with him once he's lucid enough."

"You mean interrogate," reported Wolfram, refusing to move form where he sat beside Conrad's bed. "Finding out what happened to Yuuri is one thing, but demanding answers about Walruf-"

"Tra..itor…" murmured Conrad. His head rolled agitatedly to the side. "He shouldn't be.." His frown deepened. "…shouldn't be…" A gasp flew passed his lips. "I have to find him!" He rocketed up in bed, tearing his hand loose from Wolfram's grip. "Yuuri! He's in-" A strangled sound escaped his throat. He bent double, arms wrapping tightly around the pink line still present on his chest. He started to topple sideways.

"Brother!" Wolfram barely managed to catch him in time. The blond struggled to get him back onto the bed. Wolfram's arms trembled under his brother's weight, but not even a beat later, Gisela was helping him move the soldier onto the mattress.

"Sir Weller." She bent over, trying to examine her patient. It took some coaxing, but she finally managed to get him to uncurl enough to get at the injury. Hand glowing green, she began to gingerly run her fingers over the thin scar. "There's still a lot of damage. I'll do what I can, but it's going to be tender for a while."

Wolfram nodded shakily, reaching out to grasp his brother's hand again. "Conrad?"

The knight's eyelids slowly fluttered, before opening ever so slightly. "I… I have to find him…" he told Wolfram softly.

"Walruf's dead, Conrad. There's nothing to worry about."

But the knight wasn't listening to him. "Yuuri… said I had…" He shuddered, eyes falling shut, "…to fi..nd… hi…m…" The knight went still, fingers going slack from where he gripped Wolfram's hand.

The blond's heart lurched fearfully. He rocketed to his feet. Panic grabbed at his mind, but through the haze he did see that his brother was still breathing.

"Sir von Bielefeld?" The concern in the doctor's voice was the last straw.

Eyes burning, Wolfram bolted from the room. Gisela shouted after him, but he didn't listen. He may have been one of her patients still, but with the shape Conrad was in, she wasn't going anywhere.

He raced through empty corridors, never stopping until he reached his own small office, a place no one went. Slamming the door behind him, he retreated to the far side, back to the door and staring resolutely out at the storm.

He scrubbed fiercely at his face, pretending there weren't tears in his eyes. That had just… It'd been too much, seeing Conrad like that. He could- would never say it out loud, but sometimes… _sometimes _it terrified him how… fragile his half human brother was. How easily he could be hurt.

He drew a shuddering breath. Wolfram had been awoken by the raging storm. Of course, at the time he hadn't realized that it was the Maou's creation… at least, not until they brought Conrad into the infirmary. The knight had been a terrible sight, covered in mud and his own blood.

Wolfram shook his head, trying to dislodge the image that was already burned into his memory. Rain clattered against the window he stood by. Of course, the guards that had brought him in, the only words on their lips had been that Yuuri was still out there… somewhere.

His office didn't even face the right direction to see the search. Wolfram bit his lip, desperately fighting the urge to hit something. Acting on impulse was only going to land him in Gisela's care _again_. That's what had gotten him blasted across the young Maou's bedroom in the first place.

What had started as a casual patrol of the corridors at night, had gone down hill when he'd heard a cry of distress from the young Maou's room. The lack of guards had only cemented his fears. He'd burst in, only to see that the teen was suffering from a nightmare. He really should have known better than to wake up the being who was a living incarnate of a powerhouse. Yuuri had panicked, and his maryoku had acted accordingly.

Of course, _now_ Wolfram felt stupid for not seeing that coming.

The blond closed his eyes, drawing a deep breath. He couldn't jump in head first without looking. But he needed to do something to help. Yuuri was a friend, and regardless to that, he owed it to Conrad.

Wolfram bit his lip, finally coming to the conclusion to seek out Gwendal. His older brother would be the one in charge of the search for the young Maou. Gwendal would also wish to know how Conrad was doing.

Decision made Wolfram set out once more. It took a while to tract down the location his brother was in, and in the end a guard ended up telling him. Maybe Gwendal's office should have been the first place he looked. But then, he had expected Gwendal to be out in the rain, helping run the search instead of hiding away inside. He wasn't certain what to think of that.

Hesitantly he approached Gwendal's office, coming to a stop outside the shut door. He could hear voices coming from inside, and suddenly the blond found himself hesitant to disturb whatever proceedings were going on inside.

Slowly, he lowered the hand he'd half raised to knock on the door, about to turn to leave, when the door swung open and he was grabbed. Before an exclamation could leave his lips, he was yanked inside. He blanched as a steel sword blade was brought and then hastily drawn away from his throat.

Yozak gave him a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that, little lordling," the redhead apologized, as he released the blond. Wolfram didn't make a sound. "But it's dangerous to be hovering silently behind doors right now." He set the blade back into its sheath. "Can't be too careful… not after everything that's happened." The spy's expression went grim. Wolfram swallowed hard, his throat now feeling terribly exposed.

"Is there something you wanted, Wolfram?" Gwendal inquired wearily, from where he stood on the far side of the office.

Wolfram glanced across the room. "I…" Conrad's jacket pristine and untouched was neatly folded on the edge of Gwendal's desk. How it had gotten there, the blond didn't know. "Conrad…" he began slowly, "was awake briefly… maybe half hour or more ago." Both Yozak and Gwendal seem to stand straighter after his pronouncement. His words clearly eased some of their worry. "He was… calling for Yuuri."

The dark shadows under Yozak's eyes seem to deepen. "Did he say anything about where the kiddo was?" It was a half hearted question. Yozak wasn't expecting an answer.

Wolfram felt his heart sink even more. "Only that Yuuri told him to find Walruf." A tight lump was forming in his throat. A growl escaped Yozak at the mention of the ambassador's name. Wolfram felt sick. "Brother didn't even seem to realize Walruf's dead."

"Brother huh?" The redhead couldn't help his teasing grin. "The Captain will be delighted to hear that." Wolfram spluttered indigently, his face heating up. Yozak just kept grinning. "What do you think of all this, commander?"

Gwendal retort was cool. "Conrad's ramblings are of little consequence… at the moment." He turned to face the spy fully. "Keep the searches going, we have to find his majesty."

"Yes sir." He gave a two finger salute, before heading for the door. Wolfram hesitated, undecided about whether he should stay or help with the search. "Not this time, little lordling." Yozak stated, shaking his head.

The blond was about to protest, but Gwendal stopped him with a sharp look. Silently he watched the spy leave, closing the door tightly behind him. Wolfram shut his eyes, trying to burry the urge to disobey his older brother. He _hated _sitting around and doing nothing.

A deafening quiet hung over the room, which was odd in and of itself, now that Wolfram thought about it. Slowly he glanced around the office, not exactly sure what he was looking for. There was no blubbering, and with slowly dawning realization, Wolfram became aware that he and Gwendal were the only two in the room.

"Where's Gunter?"

Gwendal sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. "Damage control." Wolfram gave him a confused look. "There's no hiding that something has happened here at the castle. The storm gives it away, as much as the marks the Maou left behind." Not that anyone besides the two double blacks or Conrad could actually read the kanji for 'Justice' but the marks were a recognized signature all the same. "When the news gets out that the cause was Walruf making attempt on his majesty's life-" Gwendal stopped, drawing a deep breath to clam himself. "There will be a cry for retribution from the populace."

This was the only time Gwendal truly cursed the fact Yuuri was such a beloved Maou. It was clear from Wolfram's expression he didn't understand the gravity of the situation. Gwendal drew another breath, continuing. "If strong enough," and there was very little doubt that it wouldn't be, "we will be the ones who will be declaring war." Wolfram blanched. "Gunter's gone to meet with the ten noble families. We need to be certain that we have their _full_ support." And make certain that they didn't fan the flames on the situation.

Gwendal knew far too well that things could quite easily get worse.

Wolfram apparently did too. "Yuuri could easily just… do that thing of his. That idiot is no good with words, and yet somehow he still manages to get everyone to listen to him." He hesitated, glancing up at his brother, finally asking quietly, "Why haven't we found him yet?"

"I don't know." The wrinkles on Gwendal's brow spoke volumes. And the longer it took the more dangerous things were going to become.

Wolfram swallowed hard. For several long minutes neither brother spoke. Rain clattered against the windowpanes, and thunder still rumbled loudly overhead. The storm hadn't lessened any in its intensity. But where had its creator gone?

Gwendal finally was the one to break the silence. "How is Conrad? Or you for that matter?" He regarded the storm, not facing the blond in his office. "I haven't had a chance to visit."

Wolfram shook his head, even though he knew Gwendal couldn't see him. "I'm well enough." Shin Makoku was in desperate need of help right now, and in the face of that, Wolfram knew full well his own injuries were trivial. "As for Conrad…" he hesitated, moving closer to the desk. "His injuries are healed… thanks to Yuuri."

Wolfram once again relived the moment Conrad had been wheeled into the infirmary, and the utter horror he'd felt. Gisela's initial frenzy of commands while she'd examined his brother had deeply scared Wolfram. The guards' fragmented story of what had led to this had only made it worse.

The blond shook his head, banishing his thoughts. "Brother's doing well," he murmured. "All things considered." Wolfram tried not to think about that either. "He's exhausted. Idiot tried to climb out of bed, even though he couldn't see straight. I don't…" he swallowed hard, trying to dislodge that blasted lump in his throat, which was trying to reform. "Gwendal?" he hated the slight tremor that escaped in his voice. His older brother turned, a look of concern on his face. "You don't think- that is-" He bit his lip.

"What is it, Wolfram?"

"Conrad… didn't kill Walruf, did he?" Even Wolfram knew there was a desperate hope in his voice.

Gwendal's expression immediately became utterly closed. "I don't know."

"Don't know!" echoed Wolfram. "What do you mean you don't know!" He was close to yelling. "The guards that came to the infirmary knew more than you do! They saw brother fall out of the throne room's window, taking that- that _human_ with him. The assassin's dead. Conrad's out cold. No one else was there! I even heard one of the solder's saying there were _bruises_ around Walruf's neck!" He finally paused, breathing heavily. "Shinou knows I don't want to believe that- that Conrad was stupid enough to do it, but I don't see any other explanation."

Gwendal sighed, messaging his forehead. "I don't know what happened, Wolfram." He sounded exhausted. "We're trying to get to the bottom of this. Until I know all the facts-"

"By the time you wait for that," snapped Wolfram, "we'll either be overrun by Greater Shimaron! Or Conrad declared a hero for saving Yuuri from a murder attempt!" He drew a deep breath, calming slightly. "It just depends on whether that _human _is perceived as an ambassador, or an assassin." He gave his brother a hard look. "And there's no time to wait and find out."

"You're right," replied Gwendal. "But until his majesty is found, I will have to do my best to uphold his wishes."

"A dream of not going to war isn't going to stop anyone from attacking us," Wolfram answered heatedly.

Gwendal seem to weigh some decision, before he finally spoke. "A messenger Kohi has been sent to Greater Shimaron."

Wolfram tensed. He opened his mouth, but it was a struggle to find his voice. "To do what?"

Gwendal gazed pensively out the window. "As his majesty wished," he repeated somberly. "We're surrendering the Forbidden Boxes to Greater Shimaron."

ooooooooooooooooooo

Dun, dun, dun! For those who don't remember, right before Yuuri was attacked by Walruf, the teen really does say he'll surrender the boxes. The exact line can be found in Ch3 at the bottom more or less. Of course, now our favourite Knight and King have quite a few more problems to deal with since then.

This chapter was actually a bit of a pain to write, well more the first part from Yuuri's prospective. Reading it over, it still seems a little awkward to me. But maybe that can just be blamed on Yuuri's personality? (looks hopeful) Strangely I had more fun writing Conrad's part in the middle (though Yuuri's my #1 favourite character) and though Wolfram's part moves the plot forward, I found that a bit slogging to write.

Over all though, I think this was a nice little exercise of itself writing one chapter from Yuuri, Conrad and Wolfram's perspectives, while also trying to make them distinct from each other.

Big thanks to everyone who review!

**issm: **Awww, you're making me blush. I'm so glad to hear that you're enjoying the story so far. Well, you'll have to keep reading to see if war truly does come to Shin Makoku, Gwendal at least is still trying to prevent it. Thanks ever so much for the wonderful review and I hope you've enjoyed the newest chapter installment.

**peanut: **Great to hear that you've been enjoying the story so far. I really enjoy story writing, so I end up tweaking a story quite a bit as I go along. That of course, gives the chapters a more streamline flow, but also having the rewrites I've also got lee room to get details to fit better with later parts of the story. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the newest chapter installment! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!

**aida135: **Mwahaahaaa! I threw Yuuri and Conrad out a window! And I really enjoy doing it too! I'm so cruel. Poor Yuuri and Conrad can't seem to catch a break either. I think I ended the chapter in another cliffhanger again… heh. I'm getting good at this! Wonder if I've got another cliffhanger planned for the next chapter. Hmmm. Going to have to double check that. Anyway, thank you so much for your wonderful review and I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of the story.

See you next chapter! And Merry Christmas / happy new year!


	6. Mending

Big thanks going out to my beta Merideth-kun!

ooooooooooooooooooo

_Fear. Fear of death, of wounds too deep to heal. _

_Terror. Terror of power, of lacking hesitation to wield it. _

_Horror. Horror of knowledge, of knowing his power brought death. _

_He felt all those, as strongly and keenly as though they were his own. He quelled them, expelling each as quickly as they appeared. _

_He was here: where death could not reach him; where injuries, neither big nor small could not hurt him; where power, in any form, was no more dangerous to him than his own; and where his confidence was apparently startling. _

_It made him laugh. What a strange dream- Only with a jolt of alarm he realized-_

_A heart wrenching scream. Pain unlike anything he'd felt before. He fell. He ran. Torn in two. Mixed and now apart. _

_Torch light, and deep shadows._

_Muddy ground, and castle walls. _

_Wood planks, and dusted floors. _

_Endless midnight-black clouds._

"…_don't give up on finding me…"_

_YUURI! He was running full out… but lying still. Phantoms. Yuuri, pale as a ghost, and wraith like, egged him on. But he couldn't keep up. He couldn't breathe. He was drowning. A cold droplet on his cheek. Dust that would become mud. Mud that would become a ravenous lake… and consume him. He would never be found. _

_He gasped desperately. He had to find Yuuri! Paper thin phantoms shaped like hallways, and shadows dressed in human form. A double black within a crowd of shadows, calling him to follow, the same one who'd stolen his heart. _

"CAPTAIN!"

_Through the thin white mist he gave chase, only to have the shadow of double black abruptly turn toward him. It stretched out a hand, only to start falling. A sea of splintered glass…_

"_Yuuri!" He dove after him, hand desperately outstretched. _

_Their fingers brushed, and the mist whispered in his ear: corpse and murderer, poisoner and killer. A truth so sinister that another's desperation would see so strongly to it being kept hidden. _

"CONRAD!" A hand clamped down on his collar at the scruff of his neck. "Get a hold of yourself!" He was roughly yanked backward. He stumbled, only to fall back onto the cold stone floor.

He gasped, finally snapping fully awake. He blinked. He- well, they, he realized gazing up at Yozak, were in the throne room. The redhead was standing over him, wary of approaching. The knight blinked again, the cold of the floor starting to sink in. He was facing toward the broken window, the glass hasn't been replaced yet, leaving him staring out into the open storm. He must have been leaning out into it, if his wet clothing was anything to go by. He swallowed hard, suddenly getting a very good idea of what had just happened.

"Are you awake now?" asked Yozak, still scrutinizing him closely.

Conrad nodded shakily. "Thank you, for…"

His friend huffed. "I think you've already taken a few too many tumbles out of high windows recently, don't you?" The knight grimaced, only to wince as his stomach gave a twinge from where Walruf had stabbed him. "Are you alright?" His concerned friend knelt beside him.

Tiredly, Conrad waved Yozak off. "I'm fine." He tried to rise to his feet, only to hiss as his wound pulled more.

His friend was immediately caught hold of his arm, helping him up. "I think we should get you back to the infirmary." Yozak ignored the knight's protests. Being bigger than the soldier, the redhead easily dragged his friend along. Conrad allowed his feet to trail, forcing Yozak to take more of his weight. Even then, the Shin Makoku spy easily got them to the entrance of the throne room. He gave the soldier a hard look. "You know you're not going to win this one, Captain."

"I don't seem to remember winning the last disagreement either," Conrad retorted wryly.

Yozak laughed. "You would, if you'd seen yourself after I told you Wolfram had broken off the engagement. I don't think I've ever seen you run so fast before!"

Conrad growled, swatting at his friend. The redhead seemed to be taking pity on him too, because he allowed the hit to land. Worse, Yozak began to laugh harder. "I will pay you back for that," the knight warned.

"You can, by inviting me to the wedding," Yozak answered back cheekily. Conrad choked, tripping. Cheeks aflame, he stumbled, only to be saved by his friend who was supporting most of his weight anyway. "Whoa, easy there, Captain. I was only kidding." Conrad, however, was too mortified to answer. Yozak continued to chuckle, but seemed to have decided he'd teased his friend enough.

"Yozak, do you…" the knight began after a long while. "Do you know where Yuuri is?"

The redhead's eyebrows knitted ever so slightly, even as he calmly answered. "He's gone home, Captain."

"Back to earth?" Conrad asked, just to be certain.

Yozak nodded. "I found his tracks out in the mud leading right up to where you'd fallen. He didn't leave your side willingly, Captain. He was kneeling right beside you, but I guess with all the rain out there…"

"I see," whispered Conrad. He slowly let out a breath. At least Yuuri was safe then. "I should report to Gwendal."

"Oh no," retorted Yozak. "You're going straight to the infirmary and _staying _there." He knew full well how much the soldier hated it there.

"Is that so?"

"It is," asserted the redhead firmly.

The soldier was silent for a moment, before musing aloud, "Then I wonder how I managed to escape Gisela while I was _sleepwalking_."

Yozak came to an abrupt stop. He looked at Conrad. The knight looked back at him just as intently. "You _are_ evil," declared Yozak.

The soldier felt the corner of his lips turn up in a crooked smile. "Will you be leaving me there _without_ Gisela's supervision, then?" If the doctor had been present at the time of his sleepwalking escape, he wouldn't have made it past the end of the bed.

Yozak pinched the bridge of his nose with a free hand. Conrad wouldn't stay put unless he personally saw to it, and the redhead needed to report in with Gwendal anyway. "You're going to be the death of me," he grumbled. "Fine! You're coming along. Both of your brothers have been worried about you anyway." He started them off to their new destination.

"Both?" echoed Conrad, taken aback. "Wolfram too?"

"The little lordling too." Yozak affirmed. "I even heard him call you brother."

The knight's eyes went wide with surprise. His mouth hung open, moving as he silently tried to form something to say. His little brother…? "That's right…" he murmured softly to himself. "He was at my bedside." He glanced at Yozak. "How…?"

"He came to see Gwendal last night while I was giving a report." His friend shrugged. "It's passed noon now."

"I see," murmured the knight.

They took a turn into another corridor, approaching the door that was Gwendal's office. "Here we are." Conrad stood a little straighter, trying his best to project an air of strength. He even went as far as to try and reclaim his arm from Yozak, but his friend wouldn't hear of it. The redhead knocked once, before opening the door.

Gwendal's eyes immediately snapped up from his desk to the knight. "Conrad!" Gwendal, to say the least, had not expected to see his brother.

The full blooded mazoku got up, crossing the room. Yozak cleared his throat, explaining, "I found him.. wandering…" he trailed out.

Conrad shot him a look for the brief statement. In his still damp clothing, 'wandering' left the impression he'd been trying to get outside… well, in a more traditional manner. Gwendal was going to flay him alive.

Only, the usually stoic mazoku seemed to be mainly concerned about his brother's health. Gwendal barely spared Yozak a look, as he practically dragged Conrad over to a chair by his desk. The soldier tried halfheartedly to protest as he was bullied into the chair.

Yozak would have laughed at the scene, if he weren't still rattled from having stopped the knight from flinging himself out the same broken window he'd tumbled out earlier.

Instead he redirected the conversation to other matters. "Where's the little lordling?"

Gwendal spared him a glance. "Wolfram's looking to the normal patrols of the town, the last thing we need is a panic starting." Conrad tried to stand from tthe chair, only to be forced back down again. The soldier huffed, crossing his arms, but didn't try to rise again. Satisfied, Gwendal finally turned back to the spy. "What is there to report?"

The redhead hesitated, eyes darting briefly to the younger of the two brothers. "Well," he began, not looking forward to his next words. "We found a second body."

"What!" Conrad exclaimed explosively, his emotions cycling between utter horror, and murderous. Gwendal tried to place a hand on his arm, only to have the knight slap it away. "_Whose?_" He rocketed to his feet, fists clenched at his side.

"Easy, easy!" The redhead backpedaled his words quickly. "It's not the young Master." He held his hands up disarmingly before him. "He's back home, remember?"

Conrad grimaced, taking a deep breath. Shinou's temper… how could he have forgotten? "I know." He ran a hand uneasily through his hair. "I'm assuming the first body you found was Walruf…" He swallowed hard. A dark look flickered over Yozak's face. "Who's the other?"

"One of the guards that went missing the night his majesty blew up his room." The redhead sighed wearily, he hadn't gotten any sleep yet and it didn't look like he would be any time soon. "We found him half buried in the mud by the base of the outer wall, not all that far from where you collapsed. How we missed him until now, I'll never know." He looked reluctant to add anymore. "But it's not the strangest part."

Gwendal's scowl deepened. "Which is?"

"I found the body by backtracking the footprints his majesty left. He literally tripped over the corpse." The redhead grimaced at that. "He hopefully didn't see what it was." The knight hoped so as well.

"But how did the body get there?" Conrad questioned. Yuuri's chambers weren't on that side of the castle, and someone certainly would have noticed the corpse if it'd been there more than a few hours… the guard had been missing for over two days now.

"That's what's bothering me about all of this," replied Yozak, rubbing the back of his neck. "No one else was in that area- we searched it thoroughly after we arrived, and only the young master's tracks are around the corpse."

"How did the guard die?"

Yozak's expression was soar. "Knifed in the back."

Conrad shut his eyes. Work of Greater Shimaron's spy, no doubt. But it still didn't answer the question of how the body had gotten there. "And you're certain it's only Yuuri's tracks around the body?" he inquired after a while.

Yozak sighed. "It's a straight line, he ran up, tripped over it, and then made right for where you were. There aren't any others, but… with all this rain, they could have very well washed away already." Conrad frowned, crossing his arms, staring at the corner of Gwendal's desk. "The kiddo's tracks even fade out and I can't backtrack him much past where he ran into the corpse." He sighed with regret. "I don't know what else to do at this point." He looked up at Gwendal.

"If there's nothing else to learn, then there's nothing you can do about it." Gwendal massaged his forehead. "Our next concern is finding out exactly how the ambassador died." He gave his brother a sharp look from under his hand.

But apparently his brother wasn't listening anymore. Conrad eyes were unfocused, face deathly pale. "Captain?" inquired Yozak. But the knight didn't react. He began to teeter, and with an exclamation, Gwendal caught him by the arm before he fell.

"Conrad!" The sudden vice grip on his upper arm was what snapped the knight back to reality. He stumbled slightly, but was able to regain his footing.

He blinked, finally noticing all the attention on him. "I-I'm alright." He swallowed hard. The concern didn't leave either Gwendal's or Yozak's face.

"Maybe you should sit down." Gwendal tried to force him back down into the chair.

Conrad resisted. "No, no. I'm fine." He drew a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was going to say next. "Someone poisoned the ambassador."

A heavy silence fell over the room. Conrad shifted uncomfortably, all too aware of the attention he was drawing from the other two.

Gwendal leveled him with a hard look. "Are you certain?"

"…his dying words." It was almost impossible for him to keep his voice neutral. "He… said he was already dead. That's why he attacked Yuuri."

No one spoke for a long moment after that. Conrad shifted his weight uneasily. Yozak's eyes were trying to pin him to the spot. The knight looked at his friend, only to find the redhead's face was guarded. Yozak was already reading far too much into his words. Conrad had to look away.

"But how did he come in contact with the poison?" muttered Gwendal.

"There's a number of ways." The Shin Makoku spy answered lightly, eyes never leaving the soldier. "Ingested, absorbed through the skin, pricked with something, inhaled- but I think that last one is highly unlikely in this case." Yozak let out a weary breath. "Well that narrows it down to, what? Three different ways it could have been administered, and that's not including all the different types of poison there are out there." There was little humour in his voice. "The category of lethal poisons also tends to be quite large."

Gwendal shut his eyes, rubbing his head. "Have Gisela examine the body. See if she can find any trace of how the poison was administered." He turned to his younger brother. "Did you see any symptoms?"

Conrad hesitated, feeling that same hard look coming from the redhead. "His lips were blue, before he died. There may have been-"

It came on so fast no one saw the warnings. The soldier blinked stupidly as the world buzzed, shimmered, and the next thing he knew, he'd collapsed. Both Gwendal and Yozak scrambled to catch him.

Dimly the soldier could hear two voices shouting his name. "Conrad!" He felt dizzy. Where was he?

"Captain!" The ground was cold. "Captain? Hoy! Conrad, can you hear me?" It took a try or two, but he managed to open his eyes. He stared blankly at the blur of red hair in front of him. "This is…" He blinked, surprised the words weren't directed toward him anymore. "…get Gisela…"

His head was pounding. The side was the worst; it felt like he'd been hit badly by something. A hand landed on his shoulder, trying to shake him awake. Funny… when had his eyes closed?

His lips parted, murmuring, "Yo…zak?" He tried to peel his eyelids open, but they were too heavy.

"Conrad, can you hear me?" Gwendal…

He struggled, finally getting his eyes open just enough to see. They were on the floor, but Conrad didn't recognize the room. He tilted his head, trying to see around his brother, who was kneeling beside him. Maybe if he tried sitting up… only to over balance himself. He toppled, gasping. Thankfully his brother was quick enough to catch him.

"Easy," Gwendal's warned. Ugh, his head. What on earth had he hit? He pressed a hand to his temple, only to wince. His fingers came back bloody. "You hit the chair on the way down."

He blinked again, only to have his vision shimmer and dim. Gwendal uttered his name again, but it was getting… farther away. He was still conscious, but… he couldn't find his voice to answer. His eyes were still half cracked open, despite that he was leaning limply like a rag doll against his older brother.

He could see the candlelight. The way it made the shadows flicker and waver, and the way it made the dust sparkle like something out of a fairytale. It was beautiful. He reached out for it, trying to touch the shimmering flakes. Only to have his hand caught in the sharp and real grip of his brother's hand.

He started, eyes flying open. It felt like his mind had been sharply jerked back into his body. "Conrad? Do you know where you are?" Gwendal inquired cautiously, still holding tightly onto his hand. There was no blood on his fingers.

"Gwendal?" he felt disoriented. Was he lying down? Or was his brother holding him? He couldn't tell. He shut his eyes, shaking his head slightly. Gwendal's hand felt real, solid to his confused senses. His head throbbed.

"Gisela's on her way." His brother's fingers were cold, and his grip was far too tight. It just- it wasn't…

"The floor's made of sand…" He blinked, suddenly uncertain of why he'd said that. It was cold and hard as rock as far as his back was concerned, and yet to his fingers…

There was a clatter of steps, making his wince and turn his head away from the sound. "Sir Weller?" a hand gently came to rest on his cheek, drawing him to look at the speaker. "Can you hear me?"

"Gisela?" Why was she… He winced as her fingers brushed the sore spot on his temple. He missed the frown she made. She muttered a few things to herself, running her hand lightly over his head. Healing maryoku if he had to guess.

"Is he alright?" Yozak's voice drifted from a few feet away.

"Other than a slight knock to the head, I believe Sir Weller is suffering from a case of trying to get out of bed too soon." The annoyance in her tone was only the tip of her displeasure. Conrad grimaced, well aware that he was going to be facing her full wrath in the near future.

"My.. apologies," he managed to spoke up, startling them. He had to pause to gather the scrambled words bouncing around his head, and try to make them sound coherent enough. "I'll keep that… in mind next time."

Gisela's scowl would have killed him, had she not been a healer by trade. "You had better, Sir Weller."

He gave her a tight smile. There'd been something else… as well. He glanced over at his brother, who was still hovering worriedly at his side. "Walruf… was pale, and short on breath… wheezing."

"Never mind that right now." Conrad blinked, realizing that Gwendal was still tightly clutching his hand. He focused on his fingers, getting a slight twitch before he slowly curled his fingers lightly around his brother's hand. He tried to give a reassuring smile, but he doubted it was visible. Despite the reserved way Gwendal normally acted, he knew his brother cared very deeply for both him and Wolfram.

The knight, however, was just as worried about what would happen next to his home country. He blinked, shaking his head as he tried to rid himself of the last of the disorientation still clinging to his mind. Gisela growled at him to stay still.

Conrad winced, silently complying. Though he couldn't stop himself from asking, "Is the spy- Greater Shimaron's spy still on the loose?"

Gwendal looked reluctant to answer, but in the end he nodded. Conrad couldn't help but muse aloud. "Maybe this was their aim all along. Ranjeel ordered the spy to kill the ambassador while he was here, thus framing it on us." Both Gisela and Gwendal froze. Conrad shut his eyes, not fully aware of the other's reactions. "Anything, for a war."

No one knew what to say to that. Gisela finished working in silence, before abruptly announcing that Yozak was going to help her drag the knight back to the infirmary. Gwendal did nothing to stop them.

Conrad was set on his feet, with Yozak holding him up. Gisela wasn't taking any chances, and the knight doubted he would be seeing outside the infirmary walls anytime soon. Gisela lead the way, the redhead dragging the knight along behind. Yozak was strangely silent the entire marched to the infirmary, one arm slung around the knight's shoulders.

It wasn't until Conrad had once more been settled into bed, ordered to stay put, or _else_ by Gisela, and had Yozak posted as a guard to make certain he did, that the two friends were finally able to talk. The doctor had gone off to look into having the ambassador's body examined for any trace of the poison that killed him.

That left Conrad lying in bed with Yozak hovering awkwardly over him. At first the soldier had rolled over, back to his friend, trying to sleep, only to find to his surprise, that he wasn't tired in the least. His friend, proficient at reading such things, hadn't even offered a joke for the mood. Apparently the redhead was far more worried about him than the knight had realized.

Several minutes ticked by, and finally, Conrad had had enough. He let out a breath, speaking to his friend. "Yozak?"

The redhead it seemed, however, was intent on sidestepping. "Have you had anything to eat today?" he asked. "Last thing we need is you starving to death. Heh, nasty surprise that would be- when the kiddo finally gets back, only to find that his absolute favourite knight isn't…" he trailed out. It was suppose to be a joke, but his voice lacked all his usually good natured humour.

"Yozak," Conrad tried again, finally turning to face his friend. "I'm fine. There's no need to-"

"Ah! Stop right there." The Shin Makoku spy pointed a sharp finger at him. "I don't want-" He broke off, frustration flickering briefly across his face. "You're just going to have to put up with me. I- We're _not_ leaving you alone in the infirmary. End of discussion."

Conrad's heart fell. "Actually, I was going to say there's no need to worry." His friend still looked less than convinced. "It was just a fainting spell, Yozak."

"Just-!" The redhead bit off what he was going to say next. "Need I remind you that you don't normally sleepwalk, or have fainting spells!"

The knight let out a very weary sigh. "I'm fine, Yozak. Tired, I'll admit, but it's nothing serious."

"Maybe we should be checking you for poisons." The knight gave him a questioning look. "Last time I checked a maryoku mended stab wound doesn't account for what just happened."

"Not necessarily," Conrad contradicted quietly, his hand shifting to his stomach. "It isn't… fully healed." Mentally as well, if the nightmare was any indication. But knowing Yuuri was safely back on earth was hopefully going to go a long way towards that.

Yozak huffed lightly, crossing his arms. He was still worried, Conrad realized. "I shouldn't have let you talk me into allowing you go to his office."

Conrad watched his friend closely. "Is that what you're upset about? Or is this more along the lines of me increasing my record of high places, in the castle, I've jumped from? Of course, I didn't have an ambassador to toss out ahead of me this time."

The redhead's stance tightened. "That's not funny."

"I'm sorry. I was just…" He gave up. With a sigh, he regarded his friend with a hard look. "What's wrong, Yozak?"

For a moment he wasn't certain the Shin Makoku spy would answer. "You being reckless." At the knight's confused look, Yozak growled, angrily ruffling his red hair. "Do I have to spell it out?" Conrad didn't know what expression came across his face then, but clearly it said, yes Yozak did. "I don't know what ideas Greater Shimaron stuck in your head, but with you and the young master making eyes at each other, you're more than just a soldier now."

Oh wasn't that just a laugh. Walruf had made it _very _clear what Greater Shimaron's position on him was. They would never see him as _just_ some soldier. Conrad didn't correct Yozak on that point though.

"I am aware that my status has changed." A soft smile graced Conrad's face briefly at the thought of Yuuri, "However…" only to waver and vanish a moment later. "However… I'm also the Maou's bodyguard."

"And what do you think it'll do to him, if you get seriously hurt or worse?"

"I… I can't imagine. But if I had to guess, what he did to his chamber, and the throne room, will look trivial in comparison."

"And afterward?"

Conrad remained silent. That was something he did not wish to think about.

Yozak sighed, deciding to let it go. "I guess we're just lucky the young master was there to heal you."

The reminder of how 'lucky' he was stung. Conrad looked away. "I was careless, it won't happen again."

When the teen had been blind, the knight had been defending the young Maou against a wraith. He'd taken a step back not realizing the double black couldn't see him move. He'd tripped over Yuuri, knocking them both off balance into a wall.

That memory was what made him hesitate to step back again, and had given Walruf the opening needed to slip around his guard.

Yozak's eyes flickered to where the soldier's hand had subconsciously pressed against his chest. There wasn't a wound there anymore, barely even a thin pink scar. But the gesture spoke volumes.

The redhead uncrossed then crossed his arms again. "For his majesty's sake, I'm going to hold you to that, Captain." His mind more at ease, the first trace of a mischievous smile finally came to the redhead's face. "But since your bonnie Maou isn't here, I'm more than happy to play nurse for you." He even added in a suggestive wink. Sadly, that didn't get any sort of reaction out of the knight.

Instead Conrad went silent, and very still. The redhead stood straighter in his chair, knowing immediately something was wrong. "Captain?" For a moment he thought the knight was going to collapse again.

The soldier looked at him with a pained expression. He tried to speak, but in the end he wilted, saying different words, but ones that were just as chilling. "War's coming… to Shin Makoku, isn't it?"

Yozak shut his eyes, sighing heavily. "We don't know yet." He shrugged, studying the nearby nightstand. "It might not." Even Conrad could hear the doubtful hope in his friend's voice. "Captain?" the redhead wondered if the small prompt would be enough to get the knight to admit what was now troubling him.

Conrad swallowed thickly, avoiding his friend's gaze. "I wonder if Yuuri… will be back…"

The redhead studied Conrad for a long moment, unable to connect what was bothering the solider. He sighed, finally answering. "The kiddo used up a tone of maryoku… it'll take him a while to recover from that, but once he bounces back…" he trailed out, suddenly coming to the same horrible realization that the knight had stumbled over. "Oh…"

Conrad finally looked at him. "Shinou's gone."

"Oh." Yozak was too shocked to say anything else. But the grim silence was only making the soldier more miserable. "Well…" Yozak struggled for something encouraging, "Maybe he'll still find his way back, I mean he did manage to get the one way…" But the teen's powers were erratic. They always had been and this wasn't going to be any different. Even the Maou Mode, for all the times he'd shown up, had never done a repeat performance.

But other than a slight melancholic expression, Conrad showed no other reaction. "Someone should let the Great Sage know."

Yozak gave him an uneasy look. "I'll see to it, but I'm not certain when I'll get the chance." The knight just nodded mutely.

The unsettling silence crept more strongly over them again. Yozak's mind raced desperately for some topic to bat it away with. Sadly the first one that came to mind, was the last one he should have said. "I saw the bruises around Walruf's neck." He blurted out, only to wince. Conrad froze.

Silence.

The knight shut his eyes. That was… painful, something he couldn't yet face. He swallowed hard. "I-I can't… explain." And it frightened him. He sucked in air through his teeth, mouth dry. "I hope it's something that _never_ happens again." The vehemence of that hope was startling to Yozak.

Conrad pressed the heels of his hands into his closed eyes, before drawing them across his face. "I'm sorry." But he wasn't certain what his words were worth. He remained quiet, waiting for his friend's reaction. But the redhead just allowed the silence to continue to stretch out. "Yozak?"

The Shin Makoku spy blew out a breath. "Just… be careful, okay? Dead ambassadors, spies, who knows what's going to happen next."

Conrad shrugged his shoulders lightly, but couldn't hold back a slight sigh of relief that the Shin Makoku spy wasn't going to press for details. "A vacation would be nice right about now."

Yozak smirked. "Oh, well you got that one. The sergeant's not going to be letting you out of here any time soon, and with your record she's going to be keeping a very sharp eye on you, Captain."

"No doubt." Conrad settled himself in a more comfortable position. "What are you going to be doing in the mean time?"

"Other than keeping an eye on you?" He snorted, flicking a finger against Conrad's forehead. "Not giving you anymore reasons to try and sneak out of here." The knight gave weak smile, the best his heavy heart would allow. Yozak waggled his finger at the soldier. "I mean it. You might be a stubborn idiot who, for reasons I will never understand, gives up far too easily, but even you must realize when you're in no shape to move."

The familiar banter was comforting, giving the knight an easy distraction. "And you're a nosey spy who doesn't know how to keep out of his friend's love life," he retorted easily.

Yozak stuck his tongue out. "Well, at least my sense of humour didn't decide to kill itself."

"I'm not the one who goes around with a 'lucky dress' hidden on him at all times."

"Hey," Yozak crossed his arms, taking mock offense. "I only take it on missions. You wouldn't believe how many times it's saved my life."

"Of course, Yozak," the dripping sarcasm was easy to hear.

The redhead scowled at him, retort already forming on his lips. Conrad gave a long-suffering sigh. "At least I'm not the King of Terrible Puns." The knight mimicked the words in perfect sink with the spy.

"I know," finished Conrad, shaking his head. There was no point in denying it.

Yozak snorted. "You're hopeless."

"And you're incorrigible."

Yozak smirked. Conrad just turned his focus to the near by window. The storm was still just as fierce. "So," began the redhead far too jovially, "are you hungry?" Conrad's stomach decided to answer for him this time. It growled loudly, making the knight hunch sheepishly. Yozak burst out laughing. "Well, I guess I'll be your late lunch entertainment as well." He rubbed his hands eagerly together. "I'll just see if I can find anyone to get you some food." He stood, moving toward the infirmary entrance, but with no intention of going farther than that. He wasn't leaving his friend alone right now.

Before he'd gotten too far though, Conrad called out softly to him. "Yozak?" The Shin Makoku spy paused, half turning toward the bed ridden knight. "Thank you."

The redhead couldn't help but smile brightly. "What are friends for?"

It broke some of the tension in the knight's shoulders, though dark things still hung over them and Blood Pledge Castle. For the time being, it was enough. Conrad was on the mend, and Yuuri was safe. The rest could be sorted out later.

ooooooooooooooooooo

*Zombie Alatus starts to rise from the grave* Faaaanfiiiiction… faaaaanfictiiiion… *Conrad rushes in to defend Yuuri against the zombie author* Yuuri: "I thought it was suppose to be brains!"

Hello one and all! Rejoice! I've finally updated. I'm actually a little sheepish about how long that took. I can't believe my last update was on Christmas! What was that… half a year ago? Yesh. Good news though is I've got the next four chapter hammered out… bad news, I've tweaked some of things in this chapter to the point where, at least, the next one doesn't line up anymore and will need to have something done to it. Hmmm…

I found it fun in this chapter using previous events from this story and its prequel, or at referring back to them. Like the conversation Yozak has with Conrad referring back to where the spy tricked the knight into thinking Wolfram had punched Yuuri to break off their engagement. Also the part where Conrad, unknowingly trips over a blind Yuuri when the castle is invaded by wraiths, I don't know why, but that particular part has always stuck out to me from the first story.

Anyway, I resolve to have the next chapter up before Christmas rolls around again! That gives me what… another 6 months to update? Eck, I hope to have the next chapter up sooner than this one was.

That aside, big thanks to all you wonderful readers out there who are still with me! And bigger thanks to all you wonderful people who review, honestly I think that's what finally kicked me back into gear and got me to finish this chapter so thank you for that!

**aida135: **Thank you for the new years wishes… um, even though its half a year now. Whoops! Well, you're right about the action, I think we're just starting to gear up toward the climax, or at least the next four chapters are leading up to the climax I believe. Murata is actually going to be making an appearance around chapter 9 or so, which is going to be fun… for me at least. Mwhaahahaaa! Thanks so much for the review, and I hope you enjoy the newest chapter.

**Issm: **Thank you so much for the wonderful review. Sorry about the long wait on this chapter. Hopefully the suspense for the next chapter is still there. Here's to trying to get the next chapter up sooner than later! Hope you enjoyed the newest chapter.

**Aedien: **Hee, yeah I've had the bad habit of staying up way to late reading fanfics. It's wonderful to hear that my story managed to grip you so much. I hope you've enjoyed the latest installment, and thank you so much for your review.

Well, here's to seeing you next chapter! Till then!


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